Joshua Williamson is the author of 150 graphic novels! He works for DC Comics and Marvel, and is paid to write monthly short books (like magazines) which, when the story’s done, get compiled together into complete graphic novels. Mostly these are YA, but he’s written other non-DC books (e.g. Nailbiter) which might be aimed at a somewhat older audience.
Continue reading You too can write a novel, graphic novel, comic, memoir, mini-book, … talk with Joshua WilliamsonCategory Archives: story structure
What Novelists can Learn from the Movies—presentation by Cindy Brown, 2023 02 19
Cindy’s presentation can be found on our website at https://www.portlandwritersmill.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/What-Novelists-Can-Learn-from-the-Movies-4.pdf : Please don’t share the link.
She gave us a very clear explanation (with examples) of the 3-act plot structure, which, apparently, dates from the time of Aristotle. If it’s lasted this long, as a way of telling stories, there’s got to be something to it!
Continue reading What Novelists can Learn from the Movies—presentation by Cindy Brown, 2023 02 19Mystery Writing Workshop with Cindy Brown May 21st2021
Cindy Brown is the author of some wonderfully titles mysteries, Macdeath, The Sound of Murder, Oliver Twisted, Ivy Get Your Gun, The Phantom of Oz, Killalot, … She’s been writing professionally for 20 years, starting with playwriting (hence her interest in the relationship between plot and dramatic structure), then screenwriting, and then… She fell in love with mysteries as a child – loved Nancy Drew, was introduced to John D MacDonald, and finally started reading Sue Grafton and decided she wanted to write like her, especially as her books are set on the West Coast! So… here’s how she led us in understanding more about genre, character and plot.
Continue reading Mystery Writing Workshop with Cindy Brown May 21st2021Protected: Monsters are Needy – a talk from Author, Editor and Ghostwriter Erick Mertz
Mystery Workshop with Cindy Brown July 19th 2020
Mystery Workshop with Cindy Brown
Writing Character-Based Mysteries
Cindy Brown
cindybrownwriter.com
info@cindybrownwriter.com
Books: Macdeath, The Sound of Murder, Oliver Twisted, Ivy Get Your Gun, The Phantom of Oz, Killalot, Murder Most Theatrical (Anthology – August 2020)
Continue reading Mystery Workshop with Cindy Brown July 19th 2020Writers’ Mill minutes July 19th 2020
25 people attended the Writers’ Mill Zoom meeting this month, and enjoyed a very informative, inspirational and encouraging talk from Cindy Brown, author of the Ivy Meadows mysteries. Cindy’s handout can be downloaded from https://www.portlandwritersmill.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Mysteries-handout-from-Cindy-Brown.docx and I’ll include the edited version with notes from our session at the end of this email.
Continue reading Writers’ Mill minutes July 19th 2020Writing Methods (June 2020 Sheila Deeth)
Sheila had promised to talk about writing methods, aphorisms, rules, etc. But she started by pointing out that, while some rules (like don’t touch live wires) are not meant to be broken, others (like show don’t tell) represent simply one way of looking at things. So we looked at proverbs and their opposites. Such as:
Continue reading Writing Methods (June 2020 Sheila Deeth)Writers’ Mill Minutes June 2020
Writers’ Mill Minutes Fathers’ Day, June 21st 2020Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes June 2020
We had close to 20 attendees at our Fathers’ Day meeting, including two new members and one returning member. It seemed to be the perfect number to inspire lively Zoom discussion, so those of you who missed the meeting missed lots of fun.
Writers’ Mill Minutes 202001 January 2020
18 members attended January’s meeting, where we enjoyed much discussion about requested topics, completed our “clipboard” checkup of member interests and needs, took part in a lively critique, and even managed a thinking/writing exercise. It was great to welcome several new members and one former member too – we hope to see you all again next month for Maryka Biaggio’s talk of research for writing, research for publishing, and more…
Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 202001 January 2020Writers’ Mill Minutes May 2019
Writers Mill Minutes May 19th 2019
Seventeen members attended our first “bring your own words” workshop at May’s meeting and we’d love to have your feedback: Do you want to do this again? Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes May 2019