Top Ten Posts of Year One

We had lots of kind retweeters and insightful commenters last post, but only one person wanted the copy of Lost Mission, so Taffy, it's all yours.

The blog has turned 1!  It's been exactly one year and 4 days since my rather random first post.  I didn't start out planning to write about psychology and neuroscience -- but then, blogs do take on a life of their own.  A huge thank you  to all of you for your support.

Here's a list of my favorite posts from the last year, in chronological order.



1. Pillars of the Earth: an example of a prologue done well:  Prologues are such a contentious topic these days.  Here's my analysis of a good one.  Do you agree?

2. Three useful pointers from "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy":  Tips on world building, exposition, and finding readers from Orson Scott Card -- useful for other genres as well.

3. Narrative and the Brain:  This is the one that started the blog on a neuroscience trajectory.

4. Voice Finding Techniques from Cathy Yardley:  Wondering about that ever elusive voice?  Some tips on discovering your own.

5. Seven Reasons Agents Stop Reading Your First Page:  Actually a guest post for Guide to Literary Agents.

6. Neil Gaiman Breaks Writing Rules!:  I wrote this as an afterthought, and it turned into one of my most popular posts.  I guess writers like to rail against the rules.

7. 100% Absolutely and Completely Realistic Neuroscience Love Scene:  Pure silliness.  But oh so much fun.

8. Helpful Tips From a Harvard Writer's Conference:  A hodgepodge of helpful tips from an excellent conference.

9. Loading the First Impression for Quick Characterization:  Suzanne Collins is who I want to be when I grow up, and I really admire the way she does supporting characters.

10. How To Get (And Keep) People's Attention:  What's the difference between getting people interested and putting them to sleep?

Thank you all again for a great year.