Recent content by Malik

This was a good day.

This was a Bookbub promo, so we'll see how long it lasts, but it's doing exceptionally well even by Bookbub standards. I just want to take a moment and thank the good folks at Bookbub and all of my new readers and fans.

Way, way more plausible than you would ever imagine.

My laptop has been drinking. Not me.

Mine's . . . well, me.

Big long post on voice, POV, and character voice at my blog, in my sig line. It might help. It might not. Adult content warning: profanity, literary theory.

He does.

This is why I grabbed my forehead when in one of the prequels Yoda said, "Begun, the War of the Clones has." (Not that i wasn't grabbing my forehead through all of them anyway.) JUST NO. "War of the Clones; begun, it has." Hire a freakin' conlanger to keep your dialects straight, George...

Power Drinking Arm is calibrated in accordance with applicable security clearance levels.

"With POWER DRINKING ARM!" "Comes with 6 questionable coping mechanisms!* Try them all!" "Available in 3 versions: High-Rise Window Cleaner (includes Paternity Suit minigame**), Special Ops Soldier (includes push-button profanity generator and Article 15 paperwork), and Street-Legal Drag...

All of our paperwork must be written in active voice. (See what I did there?)

When I teach this in the military, I use the "by zombies" rule. If you can add the words "by zombies," and it makes sense, then it's passive voice. Jerry kicked Johnny's ass. Active voice. Johnny got his ass kicked . . . by zombies. Passive voice. The phone was red. Active voice use of was...

You think I've given anybody a straight answer? I'm all about the mystique, here. Don't get me wrong; I haven't lied to anyone and I won't. I've just dropped breadcrumbs and let them get lost on their own.