All posts by: Nick Chiarkas

Welcome back. Today’s blog is about the importance of truth in Fiction. Although, my novel, Weepers, embraces truth. I believe, Fiction generates truth independently of fact, and, because of that, Fiction is a better teller of truth than nonfiction. Good […]

Welcome back. Today’s blog grew out of talking with several author friends via zoom and email and text exchanges about the importance of truth in fiction. However, it became clear that the more immediate topic ought to be Writer’s Block. […]

Welcome back. Today’s blog, as promised, will consider my third point in the editing process, “get out of the way of the action.” I was asked what the difference was between filler words and filter words. Upon my writing desk, […]

Welcome back. Today’s blog will add detail to my 10-Step Plan for Self-editing. Do not do your self-editing all at once. Again, as we all know, a poorly-edited manuscript is certain death for any legitimate agent or publisher. And it […]

Welcome back. Today’s blog is brief but essential. It is an introduction to my 10-Step Plan for Self-editing. We will continue to talk about the issues raised here in my August post. So let’s get on with it Never do […]

Welcome back. As you might know, my previous four blogs focused on my seven touchstones for writing a Mystery/Thriller. (You can catch up with those here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.) Two questions that were raised several […]

Welcome back. When last we met we talked about openings and characters. Now let’s look at plot, clues, and red herrings. On story vs. plot, E. M. Forster said, “The king died, and then the queen died, is a story. […]

It would appear that my blog, at least for the near future, will be monthly. I am spending most of my writing focused on Nunzio’s Way, which I hope to get to my publisher in the fall. Here I am […]

As I feared, life came barging in demanding my full right-now attention. Eventually, I  crawled back to my laptop to write my next “Rewrite It.” Welcome back. As promised, I will return to my “Seven-Step Process to Writing a Mystery/Thriller […]

My dear friend, and fellow author, Valerie Biel has convinced me to write a blog. I thought my first one should introduce what I would like this blog to be. To offer a writing tip or two. To say something […]