Author Archives: Bite-sized Fiction

I apologize for not blogging for the past couple of weeks. We were right in the middle of some insightful interviews with successful authors. That’s going to continue, but I’ve launched a collection of short stories from my Ruxton Springs cycle, and it’s been occupying my time so for the time being let’s take aContinue reading “It’s Been Awhile”

There comes the point in life where you appreciate the craftsmen—the cabinet maker with wood or the potter with a lump of mud. In my field, it’s the storyteller. A great example of this workman-like approach to writing is Gene O’Neill, who I had the pleasure of visiting this week via Zoom. Gene is theContinue reading “A Visit With Gene O’Neill”

This week the Bite-sized Fiction Blog is talking to science fiction author Tony Peak from his home near the New River in southwest Virginia. Peak is the author of twenty short works of fiction, a novella, Beethoven’s Tenth, and eight published novels including the Audible Original, Signal, and the Eden Trilogy released this past summer by Aethon Books andContinue reading “A Conversation with Science Fiction Author Tony Peak”

Writer’s block. Some writers say it’s a myth. I disagree. Of course, I also write advertising copy and video scripts. When you’re up against a deadline, and you’re tasked with 85-words about that new Ford F-150 truck or telling audiences why a gift card from the local spa makes a great gift, the fear gripsContinue reading “The Cure for Writer’s Block”

Short fiction is the perfect way to start writing and reading. You can travel to another planet, explore the West, fall in love, and defeat an army of zombies during your lunch break or a sleepy afternoon. Nothing motivates like a sense of accomplishment. Lose five pounds, and it’s easier to lose the next five.Continue reading “Journeys Over Tea: The Case for Short Fiction”

Like all stories, jokes have an arc, and understanding the arc to a joke is the key to understanding how to write a humorous story.  I’m going to use Norm MacDonald’s “Moth Joke” as a model here for the perfect joke, so watch the video and then come back. Have you stopped laughing? No? We’llContinue reading “How to Write a Joke”

It was 2006. I came across President George W. Bush’s reading list. Fair or not, Bush was not known for being a big reader, and yet, his reading list included more than 14 books ranging from biographies and histories to “Tuck Everlasting.” “The Great Influenza: The Epic History of the Greatest Plague in History” wasContinue reading “Who Reads?”

Delivering new content – whether you’re a writer, artist, or musician – depends on a rich creative mind. In 1939, James Webb Young, VP at J. Walter Thompson developed a process for creativity and published it in his book, “A Technique for Producing Ideas,” still used by advertising professionals today.  Born in 1886, Young leftContinue reading “The Creative Method”