Jeremy D Vance Author

       I’m currently reading a craft book on loan from the library.  Written by Noah Lukeman twenty years ago, the title reads The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying out of the Rejection Pile.  While needing an update, it has been a good read up to this point.       In chapter three, he comments on a writer’s lack of comparison in description. By comparison he means, the use of simile and metaphor to evoke an image.      A simile uses “like” or “as” in describing something. An example: His glare tore through her like a slug from a .45.       A metaphor is an implied comparison. An example: His eyes lit up with hellfire. Notice the absence of like or as.      For someone like me who uses few comparisons, Lukeman’s following comment is a challenge.       “Conversely, a work devoid of comparison may also be problematic; sometimes a clearer picture need be drawn, especially of an obscure idea. A manuscript bereft of comparison usually ends up registering with the reader intellec

      A while ago, I decided to focus on writing speculative fiction as that is where my interest and enjoyment lies. I’ve written two pieces in that genre, one of which was accepted and the other is being reviewed.       Now recently I began the planning stage of another Sci-Fi short story, but in the process of development, it leaned more towards a contemporary telling. I’m comfortable stepping away from my focus for the time being because I know I’ll return to it.       It’s taken me a bit of time to engage with the story, yet yesterday was a mini-breakthrough. I really made some headway and enjoyed how it was coming together. Many authors tell you to work even when you don’t feel like it. I did that and the joy of writing returned to me after some time.       Sometimes you need to break some rock before you find the gold. Sometimes your joy in writing will leave you, but you can’t let that be self- defeating. Stick to your writing and the joy will return. Don’t wait for it, but ins

           As new authors embark on their writing journey, mistakes are often made in the craft of writing. While common to all of our efforts, one error pops up frequently in the beginning. Telling, in certain instances, makes for vague, uninteresting writing and fails to engage the reader.      What I’m discussing today is Showing vs Telling in our writing. There are natural points when telling is appropriate such as when we need to summarize or add exposition to our story. In other cases, telling should not be done when conveying emotion or when action is needed. Instead, this is where showing shines the brightest. Failing to spot the difference may trip us up, but it can be overcome with hard work.       Let me illustrate with some examples:           Telling - Skye was angry.         Showing - Nostrils flaring, Skye slammed her cup on the counter.      The telling above is too vague, but the showing helps us to identify more with the feeling.        Telling - Ivan ran to the st

Announcing My First Publication! Spaceports and Spidersilk, ed. by Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, picked up my story "Chasing Snoutfires in the Nantiry Nebula"!      A sci-fi writing craft book suggested a writer use a memory and write about it as if it took place in space. One of my favorite memories is latching onto a big Muskie with my dad. I wrote it as if a boy went searching for space fish in a nebula. To learn more, you'll have to pick up a copy of the June 2020 issue of Spaceports and Spidersilk found  here . Hope you enjoy all the stories!

           Recently I revisited a sci-fi manuscript I had submitted over a year ago. I found myself interested in how I’ve even changed in my ability since that time. The more experienced authors have told me about putting a manuscript down for a while after completing my revisions. I never figured over a year later would supply me with a great perspective. I cringed a bit because I had submitted this to a kids’ magazine. The editor had held onto it for an extended time hoping to use it, but eventually, she rejected it. I wish I could’ve seen my work then with the eyes I have now, but at least today I can use it for teaching.      I noticed that I leaned towards using more passive verbs than necessary. Other authors had informed me that passive verbs demonstrate weak writing. Writing in passive appears in forms like this. The garbage is being thrown away by the man. An active verb revision: The man tosses the garbage in the wastebasket. Another example: The bunny was being

Like a cunning wolf hot on your heels, self-doubt as a writer can be a difficult beast to dodge. In the midst of writing our manuscripts, the feeling our writing is terrible and only worth throwing in the trash  ( or deleting). Every one of us writers is bound to have episodes where the burden of self-doubt is heavy upon us.  We leave our WIPs in frustration and it may be hours, days, or weeks before we return. A whole section of time lost and can’t be recovered. How can we wrestle and win against this opponent? First, we recognize the ongoing presence of our opponent. We will always face self-doubt as we work our way through our poetry, fiction, and non-fiction whether we write for youth or not. Spanish author Antonio Muñoz Molina said, “As a writer, you live in permanent self-doubt; you’re on permanent trial.” We are human and bound to criticize our writing or ourselves harshly. By realizing the presence of our enemy, we are better prepared to enter into these tough periods. Seco

          When I began writing creatively two years ago, I was a full-on Pantser.  (A Pantser writes by the seat of their pants with little planning beforehand.). I sat down to write a contemporary novel about an autistic child who aspires to win an art contest and only had a vague sense of direction. I did not finish for other reasons, but part of it was running out of ideas/scenes.       Now I attribute some of this to my inexperience but also to not enough planning ahead of writing. This doesn’t mean everyone has to plan like me, for there are authors who really make Pantsing work. I only found that I need a more firm sense of what I’ll put into my novels/stories.       Planning for me involves filling out multiple character sheets for my MC as well as digging deep on worldbuilding since I’m working on a Sci-fi YA novel right now. I’m also progressing on a worksheet detailing the 15 beat structure of Save the Cat originated by Blake Snyder for screenplays. It has been qui

           Imagine a juicy, sirloin steak laying on a plate, waiting for you.  As you step nearer, your mouth waters as tender strips of meat fill your mind. Before you reach it, someone steps in front of you to strike up a conversation. Over his shoulder, the wonderful steak awaits, but you can’t enjoy its goodness until this person leaves.      In a similar way, a filter word gets in the way of the story by having you see, know, feel , and experience the world through a character’s eyes. Writers can default to these filter words often in a first draft. The author then should root them out and replace them with action during revision.       Now I indicated a few of these filter words with the previous italics. Let me expand the list for you.  Know See  Experience  Feel Notice Note Seem Taste Like Smell Thought Remember  Sense       This is not an exhaustive list. Peruse the web to add to the list if you so desire. Let’s dive into a few examples to unpack what fil

    If you’re starting out as a writer, you may be overwhelmed with the flood of new lingo you’ve had to assimilate. One of these phrases may be “Dialogue tags.”  Just what are these?     Remember when you were a kid and you had those tags on the back of your shirt?  In order to identify your clothes, your mom would write your name on those tags so your shirts wouldn’t get confused with someone else’s. Those tags with your name identified those clothes as yours.      In a similar way, dialogue tags identify who is speaking and sometimes how they are speaking.      It may be as simple as a           He said , “My sling will protect me..”      Or a little more specific like this           She whispered , “I have sword skills.”            My struggle with dialogue tags involved finding different words each time to make the story interesting or so I thought. Then I began finding out from different articles I read that except for the “said” tag, other tags can be distra