Head Hopping: Good? Bad? Something Else?

Head hopping allegedly occurs when a writer begins a scene from the point-of-view of one character, only to "hop" to the point-of-view of another character. Most English and creative writing instructors would condemn such "hopping." I'm not so sure. When it comes to the concept of head-hopping, I have a cartoonist's advantage. Working in multiple … Continue reading Head Hopping: Good? Bad? Something Else?

What Have You Killed Today?

As a mystery novelist, I tend to be cavalier about murder—most authors are. The typical fiction writer thinks nothing of crafting a scene of mayhem. Death comes easy. Books on writing and writers’ workshops traditionally refer to eliminating fictional characters, wonky plot-lines, or even unruly sentences as “killing your darlings.” As media consumers, we’ve viewed … Continue reading What Have You Killed Today?

Breakfast Serial

The English language is resplendent with homophones—words which are spelled differently but pronounced alike. By some estimates, there are more than four hundred such conundrums. Examples are the words ail and ale, bate and bait, cheap and cheep, and so on. My favorite pair is cereal and serial. A misuse of this duo gives a … Continue reading Breakfast Serial