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Author: C. Scott Wyatt

Software for Citations vs. Memorization of Academic Style

Admittedly, I dislike the stylistic rules of academic writing. Citations, I understand, but style rules should be limited to those rules that help ensure clarity. In science, I want the Oxford comma, for example, so groupings are clear within a list. I am not a stickler for citations, either, as…

When the ‘Block’ is Finding a Topic

What’s new in technology that would interest a broad audience? I ask myself that question the first weekend of each month when I sit down to write “Virtual Valley,” a column for Direct Magazine (formerly Visalia Direct magazine), a publication of DMI Agency that is a newspaper insert and direct mailing. After writing the…

All Stories Are the Same Few Stories

Stories fall into a handful of traditional structures. Many scholars have addressed this from disciplines ranging from anthropology to writing studies. Stories are about conflicts, inner and outer journeys of growth, and there are a limited number of potential conflict models. Likewise, a character either grows towards good, remains the…

Writing Fiction about Writing: Please, Stop!

“I’m making a movie about a young filmmaker.” “My new play is about a struggling playwright in New York City.” “I’ve written a great book about a romance writer.” And then we have… “My new screenplay is about a playwright….” STOP IT. Please. Stop writing about being a writer and…