About Give it Meaning

Columns

Love Stories

Ever noticed there are more love stories than any other kind of stories on Earth? If any other type of story was done half as often, they would get the “cliché” tag stuck on them.

Appeared 2007-01-20 in The Sword Review

The Meaning of Christmas and Why it’s Also Secular

Is there such a thing as a Christmas story that isn’t thematic? Ever noticed that even in stories that involve Santa giving kids lots of cool presents, there is still a warning against losing sight of what the Holiday is all about? Yet, sometimes the stories seem vague on the “what it’s about” part. And perhaps that is because it’s about more than just one thing. After all, there’s a good reason it is both a religious and a secular Holiday. The similarity between the secular and religious is the giving part, while the difference is in the form of the giving.
Appeared 2006-12-25 in The Sword Review

Themes That go Boo! - Facing Your Deepest Fears

Delving into the dark side of human nature can be a scary undertaking, but what would the horror genre be like if authors didn’t have the courage to do so?
Appeared 2006-10-20 in The Sword Review

Another Author’s Insight - Interview with Rachel A. Marks

I couldn’t think of anything brilliant to write, so I decided to interview another brilliant writer who is also an illustrator: Rachel A. Marks, author of “Sorrow’s Shroud” and managing editor of Haruah.
Appeared 2006-08-24 in The Sword Review

Orwell & Newspeak

The parts of Orwell’s 1984 that people remember most is Big Brother and Room 101, but there is something else in Orwell’s dystopia that’s more subtle but equally as dangerous: Newspeak.
Appeared 2006-07-22 in The Sword Review

Comedy

They say good comedy is social satire. And it’s true.
Appeared 2006-06-20 in The Sword Review

Entertainment First

What are the two things all timeless tales have in common?
Appeared 2006-05-30 in The Sword Review

Another Writer’s Insight to Themes - An Interview with Eugie Foster

From time to time it is necessary for a writer, no matter how experienced, to sit back and learn from another, more experienced writer. So instead of my usual column article, I decided to interview Eugie Foster.
Appeared 2006-05-12 in The Sword Review

Um, What's It About Again?

You’ve finished writing your story, gone through the revisions. All the thematic elements you want are in there, crystal-clear and easy to find. You send it to your First Reader or your critique group. The replies come back. And the first thing you discover is that no one seems to know what the blasted thing’s about!
Appeared 2006-04-23 in The Sword Review

Allegory vs. Applicability

When it comes to writing thematic stories, there are essentially two methods to go about it: allegory or applicability. Which method you use will depend on how obvious you want your theme to be.
Appeared 2006-04-11 in The Sword Review

Later Columns Earlier Columns