Bored? This is me, blathering about work. You can skip it.

This last week at work has been one long episode of deja vu from high school. They call it a training class, but really it's just a roomful of smartasses staring at a markerboard in the front of the room. The question/answer sessions were more intelligent than I expected, and usually resulted in the honest answer of "I don't know. I'll have to take this back with me."

The first two days were informative; the last three were practical. By Friday, I was down to writing a first draft of a short story. It's a Weird Tales story. We'll see.

"Things You Don't Want But You Have to Take."

Writerly trick recently learned and there applied: details. The details you use in a story aren't just there to add realism. If all your details do is add realism, you don't need them. Details serve multiple duties: they either reinforce or contrast characters and plot; they foreshadow; they focus conflict; and yes, they provide realism. They should be as essential to the plot as the plot itself. They shouldn't go on and on and on....