I created this site as a work reference for writers. it contains writing exercises, lessons, a glossary of terms, short story examples and what I found to be helpful links.

ON WRITING:

There are no hard and fast rules. Good writers have their own style. They rely on the uniqueness of their characters, which often are influenced by writers whom they enjoy reading.

Stories are told through the eyes of the characters in the stories. Interesting and exciting stories have interesting and exciting characters. For instance, if your focus was on the eruption of Mount St. Helen, it would be somewhere between ho-hum and kind of interesting. Why? Because environmental devastation in not gut-wrenching, people losing their lives, or loved ones is. What I am saying is, no-matter what type of story, whether it is plot driven, character driven, or event driven, it is the characters in conflict that move people (readers) and create a great story.

Oh, one last thing. No matter how many courses you take, or books on the subject you read, you will not learn how to write effectively unless you do, in fact, write. I learned how to write a novel by writing a novel. The more you write, the more you learn. You can, and will refer back to what you have read, and the courses you took, but putting it to practice is how you learn.

Good luck,

Robert.



I have a B.A. in Theatre/Drama from UNC-Greensboro and a B.A. in Special Education – Behavioral Emotional Disorders, from UNC-Wilmington. Having studied play writing under Alan Cook (East of Eden) at UNC-G, My murder/mystery/comedy play, Murder Was Called For was a success when performed at the Artistic Studio Theatre in Winston-Salem, NC., produced by the Montage Ensemble Showcase under the guiding hand of Nathan Freeman.

My first novel, The Stolen Concept, was published by PublishAmerica.