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Life-Transforming Fiction

Life-Transforming Fiction

Darkness and Light

Chasing shadows.

One of my favorite scenes from the animated Disney classic Peter Pan is when Wendy awakes to see a boy chasing his shadow inside her bedroom. How exactly Peter became separated from his shadow is never revealed, only that Peter had somehow left it behind on a previous visit.

Diary Of A Crazy Writer

Truth Hurts in Fiction

“I cannot tell a lie. I did it.”

This quote, supposedly made by George Washington, shaped me greatly as a child. I had no idea, though, how it would affect me as an adult—along with my writing. One of the first lessons my father ingrained in me was to be honest. I always appreciated...

Rachel Hauck

Dodging Raindrops - Beauty's Only Skin Deep

Walking through Publix the other day, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could just take a pill and poof! be twenty pounds lighter.”

I went on my first diet at fifteen. I lost twenty-five pounds in a month. Now, I’d be lucky to lose one pound using the same method. Our bodies change with time. We don’t seem to want to grasp that concept, but they do. If I’m going on fifty, why do I want to look like I’m going on fifteen? Or worse, feel like I’m supposed to look like I’m going on fifteen?

Quantum Marketing

Go for Broca

WARNING: Rerun! This column first ran in the July 2008 issue of CFOM. But it’s still a marketing principle issue I believe most novelists need to learn. So we’re going to run it again for those who might have missed it the first time, or for those who need a review.

Character Therapy

Character Stereotypes: The Do-gooder

Do-gooders, also called Goody Two-Shoes, are the people who make everyone else look bad. They turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, raise the bar, and set the standard high.