Category: fancy footwork

POWER POSITIONS IN PROSE: Niloufar-Lily Soltani’s ZULAIKHA

Nov 20, 2023

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by

Ace Baker

in champion, choose your weapon, fancy footwork, golden gloves, novels, power punch, starters, writing technique

I met Lily Soltani at the Robson Indigo bookstore this past weekend, where she was doing a book signing. In fact, I was the first to get a signed copy… I cracked open the cover, began to read, and quickly discovered what the publisher, Inanna, must have noticed when they selected this book for publication;…
Official Journey Prize nominations by PULP LITERATURE !

Feb 2, 2015

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by

Ace Baker

in champion, fancy footwork, fiction, golden gloves, poetry, short stories

“Victory Girl” Nominated by Pulp Literature The editors at Pulp Literature have been incredibly kind to me this year… My poem, “Big Red Schoolhouse,” was selected by past Poet Laureate George McWhirter as the winner of The Magpie Award, and was subsequently nominated by Pulp Literature’s editors for a National Magazine Award. One of…
STELLA NOVELLA? Mel Anastasiou can certainly TELLA tale!

Aug 28, 2014

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by

Ace Baker

in fancy footwork, writing technique

Memorable characters–they’re the lifeblood of strong storytelling. Artist, writer, and editor Mel Anastasiou understands that all too well… Anastasiou is the author of several Stella Novellas, mysteries featuring an unlikely heroine: Stella, the octogenarian star of her Fairmount Manor Mysteries. Yes, I said octogenarian. Imagine if Janet Evanovich’s Grandma Mazur got smarter and actually did…
Prologue Trick from Lisa Unger and Michael Slade and…

Jul 24, 2014

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by

Ace Baker

in fancy footwork, knockout idea, writing technique

To some editors and many readers that “P” word, “prologue,” is almost a swear word. Piles of readers skip over prologues to get to “the meat” of the story. Some editors HATE them. But…what if your story needs one? Here’s a strategy used by Lisa Unger in Beautiful Lies: October 25th, 1972 There were times…
“FLY FISHING” writing technique with Susan Pieters!

Jul 14, 2014

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by

Ace Baker

in fancy footwork, fiction, novels, short stories, writing technique

I’m no angler… and I’m not sure whether Susan Pieters knows how to fly fish or not—but she’s a gifted writer who uses fly fishing technique in at least one of the tales she tells. Let me show you how… In fly fishing, the lure itself is light, made to appear to be a…
Make your opening paragraph Google-worthy!

May 28, 2014

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by

Ace Baker

in fancy footwork, starters, writing technique

Strange title for today’s post, I know. I’ll let you know in a minute or two what I mean by it, but in the meantime, read this short passage from “Man Changing into Thunderbird,” by Armand Garnet Ruffo(published in the summer 2013 edition of The Malahat Review): The room is cramped with people. an…
LIST OPENINGS…how they can help your fiction and nonfiction

May 27, 2014

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by

Ace Baker

in fancy footwork, fiction, nonfiction, power punch, starters, writing technique

There is a power to momentum that is undeniable and unstoppable. Many writers have learned to benefit from the energy of a LIST early in a piece of creative fiction or nonfiction. Let me SHOW you what I mean . . . Here’s a beginning paragraph from Gordon Grice’s “The Black Widow” in High…
Jennifer Manuel #002: Pathos and simile in SILENT E !

Nov 13, 2013

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by

Ace Baker

in choose your weapon, fancy footwork, fiction, knockout idea, power punch, short stories, Uncategorized, writing technique

After my analysis of Jennifer Manuel’s award-winning story, “The Woman in the Box with the Baby,” Jennifer wrote and tweeted to tell me she was pleased with what I had to say about her work –whew! She also e-mailed me a copy of another award-winning tale of hers, “Silent E,” a story that earned…
6 days until SIWC… 6 sentence styles to test out in your writing

Oct 20, 2013

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by

Ace Baker

in choose your weapon, fancy footwork, fiction, writing technique

6 days until SIWC, so here are six styles of sentences (found in recent readings!) for you to take a peek at. Thanks Shan, Katie, Aaron, and Lena for chasing these down in your reading: 1. The Interrupted Sentence Maybe he should have stopped—showed them that he wasn’t afraid—but the muscles in his legs…
SIWC Countdown: 10 openings you’ll love!

Oct 15, 2013

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by

Ace Baker

in fancy footwork

Ok, it is officially 10 days until SIWC, so I’m beginning a countdown on fighttowrite. Today, here are 10 openings I hope you’ll love: From “Ceiling,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie When Obinze first saw her e-mail, he was sitting in the back of his Land Rover in still Lagos traffic, his jacket slung over the…