Nicholas Bruner
Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Young Adult Author
Category: Uncategorized
What I’m Reading: Esther
Can you name the two books of the Bible named after women? OK, you read the title of this blog post, so you got Esther. The other is Ruth. I read Esther as part of my Lenten reading this year and found it fairly delightful. … Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Esther”
What I’m Reading: Complete Peanuts, 1977-78
The Complete Peanuts is a project to publish every strip of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, from its inception in 1951 to its final panel in 2000. It’s a gargantuan undertaking, and a new volume covering two years is issued every six months. The project is… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Complete Peanuts, 1977-78”
What I’m Reading: The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, tells the story of Bod Owens, a boy who is raised in a graveyard. His entire family is killed when he’s a toddler and he himself escapes only by lucky accident. When he wanders into the local cemetery later that night, the… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: The Graveyard Book”
The Importance of Not Flinching
Now we come to what I think is the most important rule of all for a writer: Don’t flinch. Everything you see and experience can be used in your writing, but you must have your eyes open to see it. Be aware of your… Continue Reading “The Importance of Not Flinching”
What I’m Reading: Hell Phone
I typically read a few YA or middle grade novels a year, usually when my wife, a YA librarian, finds a book she thinks I’ll find funny. But since my WiP is a scary middle grade novel, I recently asked her to bring some YA horror home. One of… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Hell Phone”
How to write about object location
One mistake I often used to make was over-precision in writing about the physical location of objects in a scene. Robert put his keys on the end of the countertop. He dropped his pen. It fell to the floor and rolled three feet from his shoe.The living… Continue Reading “How to write about object location”
What I’m Reading: Superparenting for ADD
No, not a comic series, although maybe Superparent would be a good character! Rather, Drs. Edward Hallowell and Peter Jensen have written a book encouraging parents to focus on the strengths of an ADD (that is, a hyperactive) child. For those looking for a general… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Superparenting for ADD”
How does writing a novel improve your writing?
Well, obviously, if you commit to write a novel, you write nearly every day for weeks or months on end. That much practice can’t hurt! As Malcolm Gladwell writes in Outliers, it takes 10,000-hours of practice to gain mastery of a skill.* Writing a novel certainly… Continue Reading “How does writing a novel improve your writing?”
