Success for National Novel Writing Month (NANO) November hurled plenty my way to try and stop me from hitting the goal of writing 50,000 words during the month. From the bad – my daughter spending four days in the hospital, to the good – thirty-two people showing up for Thanksgiving at our house. My daughter […]
Looking for something? Here’s help! Since it’s November, I am… A. Checking out like a library book. B. Going dark like a shuttered theater C. Lost somewhere like my protagonist in Act II D. Searching for a new metaphor None of the above! Trick question. November is National Novel Writing Month, and I’m playing. The goal […]
Reading time: 4 minutes Under the category of Stranger Things Have Happened – I mean that literally in this case because, look above – someone (okay, John Frain) just won a writing contest. OFF THE MENU Theme: Transformation. 800 words max. Bribing the judges with alcohol, while not condoned, was never expressly prohibited in the rules. […]
— Reading time: 7 minutes Longer than usual, but I wanted to give a thorough review in case you’re debating on attending one of these workshops. Last weekend, I boarded the train to attend the Writer’s Workshop of Chicago. Actually, I waited three hours and thirty minutes at the Amtrak station and then boarded the train. […]
— Reading time: 2 minutes I’ll be brief. But twice as long as that. I’ve been absent as I finished a massive edit to my work in progress. Now, I begin my search for a couple beta readers. Meantime, back to the present. I mentioned more than a few times that my theme for the A […]
Reading time: 3 minutes. Would you, could you name your kid Adolph Hitler? A father in New Jersey did. It came to light when a bakery refused to scrawl “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler” on a cake a couple years ago. It turns out many states and countries have laws for naming your kid. I didn’t […]
Reading time: < 2 mins. We were musing about names the other day (“Why I Rob Banks,” 1-25-16), which got me thinking about character names and I made an interesting discovery. Some people are giving credit in the wrong place and I’m here to reclaim what is potentially my legacy. I wrote a Christmas story […]
Reading time: <2 mins. Sharp observation skills, like every muscle in your body, atrophy without use. Conversely, you build and sharpen your observation skills through daily practice. So whether your commute involves Sirius radio, a pair of Beats or your favorite FM station, you’re squandering a killer opportunity to observe when the music steals your […]
Reading time: 3 mins. Two people live in the same world. They go through a remarkably similar experience. Yet, they react to it in starkly different ways. It’s all around us, and it makes writing fiction fun. Every night during basketball season, seven days a week, I change into black slacks, black shoes and a […]
John Davis Frain 