Tag Archive - writing

Juries: How They Work, How They’re Chosen, and What Lawyers Handle Them Best

Today’s guest post is by Karen A. Wyle:

Want to write legal thrillers? Or put a courtroom scene in your novel? Movies portray juries listening to evidence and lawyers’ arguments, but there is much to understanding the roles and responsibilities of a juror.

In true lawyer fashion, I’ll begin with a caveat: my experience comes from practicing law in the United States, almost entirely in California and Indiana. While I have my educated guesses about what doctrines exist beyond those borders, you should treat them as guesses rather than gospel.

Understanding the Function of Juries

There’s one very important open secret about how juries function: they can do pretty much whatever they believe to be right and just, even if their verdict conflicts with the applicable law. Rather than some kind of quirk or flaw in the system, this power is a large part of why we have juries at all. Continue Reading…

Creative Writing Prompts to Freshen Up Your Writing  

Today’s guest post is by Tal Valante, who inspires writers with writing prompts:

Ever run into the dreaded writer’s block? Well, join the party. Every writer faces dry spells now and again, but as Jack London said, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” And creative writing prompts make an excellent club.

It may seem counterintuitive, to abandon the work you’re stuck with in favor of a frivolous turn of the pen (or keyboard). But trust me, it’s just what the doctor ordered. A good story starter will get your creative juices flowing and help you clear your head. It will make writing fun again, which could be just the thing you need to get past your block. Besides, you can never know what new masterpiece might be born from an innocent prompt. That’s why I love them so much.

Finding Writing Prompts to Inspire You

The Internet offers a plethora of writing prompts, though you might need to sift through them until you strike gold. My private peeve is single-word topics masquerading as a prompt. “Motherhood” simply doesn’t work for me (though it might work for you). Continue Reading…

Endings that Ruin Your Novel

Have you ever read a great book that carries you all the way to the end, and then the ending is so disappointing you feel cheated? I’ve felt that way many times, and usually it’s because the ending doesn’t fit the theme and story, or the characters behave so contrary to the way they’ve been portrayed that I just don’t believe it. On some occasions the author has been promising certain things, building up my anticipation, but when the moment comes, she breaks her promise and the ending falls flat.

I wonder if authors sometimes write these kinds of endings because they think they will sell more books or add more drama. One book that comes to mind (sorry if this offends anyone) is The Horse Whisperer, which I really did enjoy a lot. The premise and story line were great, the conflict throughout was believable, and the characters were engaging and full-dimensional. That is, until the ending. I suppose Robert Redford (who optioned, starred in, and directed the movie, from what I understand) disliked the ending too, for in the movie he came up with a new ending that really did work and was believable. I’m glad he did. I had one of those moments where I wanted to throw the book across the room while screaming, “Oh come on! You’ve got to be kidding.” Continue Reading…

Page 2 of 10«12345»...Last »