by Barbara Kyle | Jan 8, 2023 | Uncategorised
It was a delight to see my daughter’s pleasure at my Christmas gift to her of watercolor paints. Sara runs a busy business and says she finds joy in painting because it engages her in a way completely distinct from work. Art engages her soul. I find the same pleasure...
by Barbara Kyle | Oct 28, 2022 | Uncategorised
You can kill a story with kindness. I see it sometimes when I mentor writers: an avoidance of conflict in the manuscript. It’s as if the writer doesn’t want their characters to suffer. Alas, this just weakens the narrative, because nothing moves forward in a story...
by Barbara Kyle | Jun 19, 2022 | Uncategorised
(Painting by Caspar David Friedrich) The Secret Power of Setting Want to know a secret? I’ll tell you two. They’re both techniques about writing a story’s settings. Its locations. The first technique you may already be using. If so, bravo! The second, however, is not...
by Barbara Kyle | May 9, 2022 | Uncategorised
Breaking News! I’m delighted to announce that I’ve just signed the contract with my publisher for my new novel, The Deadly Trade, the first book in a series of murder mysteries featuring animal rights activist Natalie “Nat” Sinclair and her team of volunteers as they...
by Barbara Kyle | Feb 18, 2022 | Uncategorised
We’ve all binge-watched TV series during this pandemic, haven’t we? It’s been a boon, soothing strained nerves. I imagine it’s made Netflix very rich. An interesting result of all that viewing is that it’s sharpened writers’ awareness of what makes a strong narrative...
by Barbara Kyle | Nov 15, 2021 | Uncategorised
My stupidity with numbers is kind of embarrassing. Seriously, I still stumble over grade-school multiplication tables. I have to stare at a clock face for several seconds before I can read the time. Algebra? Calculus? Unfathomable. Numbers, to me, are silent...
