I’m not writing epic fantasy, so I couldn’t populate towns and countries the the number of dead (no, I still haven’t read or watched Game of Thrones, but it’s got a reputation). That doesn’t mean I don’t have characters that either die during the book or have died before the book began. Some of...
Some of the happiest people are the most generous, giving of what they have (time, attention, money, etc.). This week’s blog post at Adjustment Guidance talks all about the joy of giving.
My therapy practice is about 40% Japanese nationals and 60% foreigners, and people are always curious about what Japanese people see me for. I always think this is such a weird question, because people are people everywhere you go. I mean, anyone can get their feelings hurt, have marital issues, feel anxious… and Japanese...
Some storytellers are so captivating that we don’t see the flaws in the story until we have a “refrigerator realization”, where you’re standing in front of the refrigerator and realize that there was a gaping plot hole. Usually, you don’t care, because you were entertained. For most of us writers, though, it’s important that...
This week’s blog post at Adjustment Guidance is about finding joy in interactions with other people. Read it at Adjustment Guidance.
Oh man, life in Japan can be complicated! Being an American means I have to file taxes in two countries, and that’s stressful. I don’t mind paying my taxes. I mind having to prove I did. In the US, I would always claim zero dependents and get a nice big fat tax return and...
Most novels and narrative non-fiction will have characters/people who aren’t main characters. If you’re creating a video game, then you might need to know a lot about these characters to let players interact with them, but for narration the needs are much simpler. Here’s how I create them. First, I need to know what...
