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Simmons Says Newsletter 152: Who Decides What Writers Write?

Welcome to my newsletter! Here's a question for you, Reader... "What or who determines our writer's voice?" In the early 50s, books and films reflected society in the aftermath of WW 2. From the late 50s into the 60s, with Russia’s Sputnik and the US Space program in the air, aliens and radiation became popular topics. It was the Atomic Age. After all, we had dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And thus, radiation became a much more familiar word in common Society.That time...

2 months ago • 1 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! The Other Secret Identity Hey, Reader: The whole purpose of a mask is to hide your true face; actually or metaphysically. In acting, it's to convey a convincing portrait of a personality, not your own. Sometimes, the actor adds elements of their life experience to add authenticity to the role. Maybe the actor has lived out some part of the fictional character’s trauma and thus knows it all too well. And that knowledge is what makes the whole film more believable....

2 months ago • 2 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! The Blind Alley Kids. Hey, Reader I know it's a weak title. I can't even say that this was an homage to the Dead End Kids or the Bowery Boy movies I watched as a young person. It was more of a straight rip-off. But it wasn't me trying to write some stories and using this title to sell and get paid. Instead, I came up with this when I was still a teenager, running around the streets of New York City with my friends Michael and Angel. We were into making home movies in...

5 months ago • 2 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! How To Craft Intriguing Mystery, Suspense, & Crime Thrillers Greetings, fellow mystery lovers, Reader, Assuming you are one. I’ve been teaching my latest "... Write The Crime" master class in writing mysteries, and I've been having a blast. The event is where we delve into the art of creating compelling narratives intended to keep readers on the edge of their seats. During the first two days, we explored different ways of building the structure for your crime...

6 months ago • 2 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! How My Methods Work, A Fun Real-Life Example. Once upon a time, I was given a comic book writing assignment, which I started on by saying, What if James Bond met Scooby-Doo? Yes, my mind works like that. Then I looked at the audience for the comic book and realized they were young people 8 to 12 years old, maybe older. So I knew my James Bond-like character needed to be young, possibly a teenager. What Makes Scooby Run? I looked at the basic format of a Scooby-Doo...

6 months ago • 3 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! Should writers create more male heroes? Hey, Reader. You're possibly wondering why worry about that. What about more women characters, or people of other races, etc? I hear you. That's all valid. Still, there's even more to consider. Without a father, I looked to comic books, television, and film for my male role models. Luckily, I picked some good ones. For observational skills and deductive reasoning, I picked Sherlock Holmes. I chose the Lone Ranger and Tonto for...

6 months ago • 2 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! How Do You Craft Intriguing Crime Stories Greetings, Reader. Are you a fellow mystery lover? I’ve been teaching my latest master class in writing mysteries and having a blast. The event is where we delve into the art of creating compelling narratives that keep listeners on the edge of their seats. During the first two days, we explored different ways of building the structure for your crime stories. From mapping out the crime framework to understanding the motives of...

6 months ago • 2 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! Maybe I'm not a real writer. I don't know which idea to go with. My dialogue sounds fake. I have trouble figuring out the middle of my story. Writing a mystery, you have all those clues and things to figure out. I don't know where to start. I don't know how to finish. I can't find the time to write. These are just some of the negative thoughts that writers have to deal with on and on and on, Reader. And it doesn’t matter whether you're an aspiring, emerging, or...

6 months ago • 1 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! "The Fiend On The Fire Escape" I promise, Reader, I never went looking for trouble. Quite often, I just tripped over it. In my teens, I lived in a 5 flight walk-up, which was just like the other 12 other buildings on my block near the southern tip of Harlem. One of my best friends and serious crush lived in the building next door. I used to love going over to her house and hanging out with her house and hanging out with her her family. And. And because they were...

7 months ago • 1 min read

Welcome to my newsletter! "A Shot Rang Out and the Maid Screamed..." So, Reader, you’re planning a crime … uh, mystery thriller, eh? Well, you know, there are 8 steps to writing a movie script in the film world. There’s Idea, Plot, Logline, Beat Sheet, Outline/Step-Outline, Treatment, and Script. It’s not much different in the literary world. It’s basically an Idea, Plot, Outline, and Script. Conjuring an intriguing plot, developing a powerful logline, and working out critical story elements...

7 months ago • 1 min read
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