Attending to details so that the bigger picture can emerge.
Are you looking at this period of home detention as a golden opportunity to begin your novel? It is that, of course. But before you think seriously of getting started, here’s a word of advice: Make sure your subject will … Continued
You can never predict where research will lead you when writing an historical novel. One fact I could not avoid when doing research for “The Designated Virgin” was the deep political divides that existed at the time of the Civil … Continued
Like many others who grew up loving classic Hollywood movies, I’ve been discouraged to find those feelings not shared by so-called millennials and others in the digital age. I noticed this first some years back when I made the mistake … Continued
Shortly before his death in 1879, French painter Thomas Couture was approached by a publisher and asked to write his autobiography. “Personality is the scourge of our time,” he replied, “and biography is the exaltation of personality.” Couture … Continued
My novels about early Hollywood are verbal time machines designed to lift the reader into a bygone era. When that happens to be the silent film era, it can be a challenge finding the right fictional “voice” for a character, … Continued
When I sat down to write “The Ben-Hur Murders,” one of the things I most wanted to do was dramatize Hollywood’s historically American roots. Early silent movies may have been pitched to immigrants but it was their vision of America’s … Continued
Everyone understands the desire of artists to reach thrilling new peaks in art and entertainment. All of us who love motion pictures and show business in general can understand why stunt men and rodeo riders and circus performers put their … Continued
Non-fiction readers frequently look down on historical fiction as a mongrel breed that takes too many liberties with the truth. If it’s not well done or gets important facts wrong, it can indeed be hard to defend. But writers of … Continued
“The historian’s problem is always the separating of fact from fantasy,” wrote film historian Robert M. Henderson. That should make everyone who writes “reality-based” historical fiction his arch enemy, including me. My novel “The Ben-Hur Murders: Inside the 1925 Hollywood … Continued
The question of “Who knows what?” is not just a question for writers of whodunnits. What does the reader know and when does he know it is crucial to success in every genre of storytelling. In early drafts, it … Continued