All posts by: Nick Chiarkas

Welcome back. I hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day. Let’s briefly revisit editing. In a past blog, I discussed my 10-step self-editing practice. Many questions followed that blog, most of which had something to do with a professional […]

Welcome back and welcome to 2021. In my December blog, I said 2020 had been a crazy and stressful year. But it is December, and soon it will close and make way for 2021. I suppose I harbored the delusion […]

Welcome back. Today’s blog is about this and that. It is not news that 2020 has been, and continues to be, a crazy and somewhat stressful year. But it is December, and soon it will close and make way for […]

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. […]