MICE describes the four primary motives for someone deciding to engage in espionage: Money, Ideology, Coercion, and Ego. These are still the central focus of security clearance investigations in the U.S. They also happen to be, on a higher level, the same primary motives for someone to decide to engage in murder.
3 Writing Lessons from Dungeons and Dragons
Tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) have a lot to teach you about writing. You create characters and tell a collaborative story in real time, so of course it's good practice for your novel! Taking away the setting elements (fantasy, sci-fi, horror), you find lessons that apply to any writer in any genre. Here are the first … Continue reading 3 Writing Lessons from Dungeons and Dragons
Three P’s of Writer’s Block
It happens to every writer. You get to a point somewhere in the middle of the book and the plot that has been rolling merrily along simply evaporates. Where do we go from here? It's an intensely discouraging moment for all of us. In some cases, it can even convince people to put their writing … Continue reading Three P’s of Writer’s Block
No, People Won’t Like Your Book
I was browsing Twitter yesterday, and came across a post from someone I really admire. They were complaining about romance arcs in mystery novels, and vice-versa. I looked at my fresh new fragile baby of a first novel, which has both mystery and romance arcs, and winced. The rest of the conversation was a series … Continue reading No, People Won’t Like Your Book