Category: George RR Martin

  • When the Learning Curve is Steep – Sometimes HBO Can Help

    Confession time: I watched the entire first season of the Game of Thrones HBO series before I read the books. I know. I know. It was very Impure Reader of me. I should be thrown on the hellfire that awaits those who use CliffsNotes to write research papers. (Yeah, I know! There are people out there that do that!…

  • Scene Breaks: Martin Doesn’t Do ’em

    Recently, in the critiques I’ve been giving for my writers group, I’ve taken to pointing out that we, as a group, don’t generally use scene breaks. (Have you ever noticed you start pointing out bits and pieces in other people’s writing that you think you might need in your own? I do that. A lot.) This strikes me as…

  • Giving Characters Their Arc

    I’m always hesitant when it comes to a Dramatis Personae list anywhere in a book. What it means to me is this: there are too many characters to handle. It means there are too many threads to follow through to a full conclusion. It means that there is so much information gathered in the text…