​I already knew that writing was fun. But according to Alice Calch, the act of writing actually influences your brain in 7 interesting ways!

I thought her insights were pretty cool, so I decided to share them with you. Click the button below to check them out.
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Have you ever wanted a behind-the-scenes peek into the process behind the books, and the world of the author who created them?

If the answer is 'yes', I have good news: this week, I had the wonderful opportunity to have an interview with Gary Vanucci, and the interview just went live!

In this interview, you'll discover:

1. The process I use to write my books, and the rule I always break while writing them
   
   
2. Some valuable advice for fans and aspiring authors
   
   
3. My favorite character to write, most recommended shows, and superpower of choice
   
   
4. And more!

There's plenty of opportunity for emotional drama when a hero's loved one turns, and the baddies can be slaughtered with no pesky moral questions of how many people you can kill to save your team before you become the bad guy.

But when it comes to zombie stories, I have good news and bad news...

The bad news:

Unfortunately for some fiction stories, and fortunately for those of us in real life who prefer our neighbourhoods WITHOUT a shambling horde of brain-eating, bloodstained ex-people, the chances of a traditional, bite-style zombie apocalypse actually getting off the ground are pretty much nil.

Cracked.com shared 7 scientific reasons why a zombie outbreak would fail quickly, and today, I'm going to infect you with that knowledge.

The good news:

If you're a nerd who's always dreamed of earning his badass cred by destroying the undead, you might be one of those 7 reasons. If you can outmaneuver a shambling, brain-eating, bloodstained ex-person. Or if you have a gun.

A few days ago, I stumbled across an article titled "Why I’m Not Going to Read Your Fanfic". I was intrigued, because I do occasionally like to play in sandboxes other than my own, and I'm an unashamed consumer of fanfiction - especially for characters who got too little screen time or character development because the writers didn't love them as much as I did.

While the article is geared toward fanfiction writers, there are some great tips in here for all storytellers. I agreed with most of what she said, while a couple complaints triggered my writerly instinct to say, "But I'm sure there's a way to make that bad idea good!"

Will you agree with her opinions? And will her refusal to read some peoples' fanfics improve your own writing? Check out the article to find out.

It seems to me that the term "Mary Sue" gets thrown around a lot, often where it doesn't belong.

It plagues authors with doubt, especially when they're inserting an OC into a fanfiction or writing a female protagonist.

And it can dampen a fan's enjoyment of a story, when they find themselves questioning whether they're looking at a good and competent character or a Mary Sue.

Since I'm human and not-Mary-Sue enough that I've been slowed down by a cold today, I'm going to let another author cover this topic for me. In this article, she'll explore the criteria that define a Mary Sue, and also reveal a double standard that has appeared in modern fiction.

Is writing a skill that anyone can learn, or is it a mystical gift from genetics or the universe that only some people have?

A lot of people claim that skills they don't have stem from talent or luck that they just don't possess, and they can't do anything about it. It becomes their excuse, and they allow it to stop them from getting their story or message out there.

But while it's true that a natural inclination to write does play a part in being an author, it isn't the whole story.

If you want to know what it REALLY takes to be a great writer, you'd like to see if it's possible for you, or if you're just curious about what goes into the process of writing a book, check out the article below.

Once you've read it, I'd love to see what you think. Do YOU think it's possible for anyone in general, and you in particular, to become a great writer?

I look forward to reading your comments.

Well. It's been an interesting week as far as writing goes. I was editing the climax of Heroic Lies, and just as I got to the single most pivotal conversation in the entire novel... plot hole.

Ouch.

I had to rewrite the entire thing, and I LIKED the original version. Darn. But sometimes, if you want your book to be high-quality and plot hole free, you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

Speaking of what you've gotta do, I recently read a great article from a guy who's writing an average of 5 books a year, and he gives some solid, practical advice for what you need to do if you want to be a prolific, successful author.

So whether you're an author who wants to get better at what you do, or a reader who's curious about a writer's day-to-day life, check out the article by clicking the button below.

Well. That was as deliberately nonsensical a title as I could possibly make it. So now I guess I should explain myself.

A little while ago, I read an article about candy bar scenes. You can see it here, and if you're a writer, you should definitely read it.

For the busy or uninquisitive, the gist of it is: every scene should be a candy bar scene.

No filler. No boring scenes. None. Every scene should be awesome.

Does it sound like an unreasonable challenge? Sure. So of course, now I have to do it.

That is my new challenge to myself. During the edit of Heroic Lies, I plan to make every scene into a candy bar scene. In every book I write in the future, everything will be candy bars.

Because let's face it, once you've got over a decade of experience in something like writing, there's really no reason not to accept a challenge that helps you to take your craft to the next level.

Speaking of challenges, I recently took one on in a different area of my art: music videos. I heard a beautiful song called "Wanderer's Lullaby", and it was so wonderful that I had to make a video of it... but which character to make it for?

I weighed several options, but in the end, I decided to focus the video on two characters: a badass sci-fi antagonist whom you wouldn't tend to associate with lullabies, and a one-shot character who only gets three brief scenes in the entire series. Not much footage to work with.

What can I say? Improbable but fitting song/character matches, and characters whose viewpoints tend not to be explored, are an interesting challenge, and one I'm happy to accept.

Books and movies have a great deal in common. I know I'm always keeping an eye out for things I can learn when I'm watching something good!

This article makes some really good points on that subject - take a moment to check it out.

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/what-star-trek-can-teach-us-by-kristen-lamb/

I thought this article was interesting:

http://writetodone.com/2012/11/02/character-emotion-written-all-over-their-face/ 

What do you think of it? Does it bother you when authors use characters' faces to show their emotions? Do you wish they’d do it more?

Feel free to comment and leave your opinions.