June 2006 Issue
The Internet Writing JournalISSN No. 1095-3973
Volume 10, Issue 5.
In This Issue:
Articles and Author Essays:Article: Napalm by Alex Keegan
A common error that beginning writers make is when they miss conveying the most important moment of the story to the readers. The author may be aware of how important a moment is in his story, but he is unable to properly convey this incredible moment to the reader because his pacing is off or he doesn't know how to make the moment stand out. Alex Keegan calls this incredible moment "Napalm": a burning, intense moment that really sticks with the reader. In his new article, Alex Keegan discusses Napalm and how writers can learn to incorporate it into their stories.
Article: Songwriters Anonymous: Part 3 by Mary Dawson
Some of the best songwriters in history are almost totally anonymous. But these songwriters, who cared more about writing a hit song than recording one, had very interesting lives. In this third article in her ongoing series, Mary Dawson looks at two more "members" of this prestigious club: Leon Russell, "pop music's most anonymous big shot," who wrote "This Masquerade" recorded by George Benson and Richard Leigh, the quintessential "songwriter's songwriter," who wrote numerous hit songs, including the Crystal Gayle hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?" and "Cold Day in July" by the Dixie Chicks.
Author Essay: The Decade of the Spy by Gayle Lynds
After the Cold War ended, John Le Carré declared that the spy novel was dead. He then moved on to write in another genre. It was a lean time for writers who wrote spy novels and for women thriller writers, in particular. But all that has changed: in fact, espionage thrillers are now hotter than ever. New York Times bestselling novelist Gayle Lynds, author of The Coil, discusses her exciting new espionage thriller, The Last Spymaster (St. Martin's Press), and what she calls "The Decade of the Spy."
Author Essay: In Praise of Lying: Fiction vs. Nonfiction by Amy Hassinger
Nonfiction is very much in the news these days. Capote, the James Frey debacle and the even creepier Nasdijj scam have raised the kinds of questions that plague many a memoir writer: how much can you really remember? How much can you ethically invent (creating dialogue, for example, from a forgotten conversation), and how much do you have to base on verifiable fact? What is the truth, anyway? Amy Hassinger, the author of The Priest's Madonna (Putnam), explores the issue in her article, "In Praise of Lying: Fiction vs. Nonfiction."
Book Reviews
Children's/Young Adult
An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long (Chronicle Books)
Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2) by Angie Sage (HarperCollins)
Little Lamb Finger Puppet Book (Chronicle Books)
Mom and Dad Are Palindromes by Mark Shulman and Adam McCauley (Chronicle Books)
The Quillan Games (Pendragon Adventures, Book 7) by D.J. MacHale (Simon and Schuster)
Victory by Susan Cooper (Margaret K. McElderry)
Fantasy/SF
Broken by Kelly Armstrong (Bantam Spectra)
Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (Roc)
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue (Nan Talese Books)
Working For the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow (Warner Books)
Lifestyle
The Mediterranean Prescription by Angelo Acquista, M.D. (Ballantine)
A Taste of Southern Italy by Marlena De Blasi (Ballantine)
Mystery/Thriller
The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow)
The Hard Way by Lee Child (Delacorte Press)
The Last Cato by Matilde Asensi (Rayo)
The Last Spymaster by Gayle Lynds (St. Martin's Press)
Romance and Women's Fiction
Dark Demon by Christine Feehan (Jove)
Hex and the Single Girl by Valerie Frankel (Avon Trade)
The Hazards of Hunting a Duke (Desperate Debutantes) by Julia London (Pocket Star)
Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson (Ballantine Books)
Copyright © 1997-2020 by Writers Write, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Republication, redistribution or copying of the content of The Internet Writing Journal® by any method whatsoever, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Writers Write, Inc.
All articles contained herein are copyrighted by their individual authors.
The Internet Writing Journal®, Writers Write® and The Write ResourceTM are trademarks of Writers Write, Inc. The Internet Writing Journal® is published by Writers Write, Inc., Dallas, Texas.