I’m not entirely sure how interesting anyone finds this or the previous two posts about character development, but it’s one of those things I could go on and on about if pressed on the topic. In the first I touched on the oveall development of my characters and then delved a little into some of…
All posts by Chris Sherwood
Vicennial
( vaɪˈsɛniəl ) adjective – lasting twenty years 2025 marks my twentieth year in the band Kilrush. Now, right up front I will concede that there were times where I thought I was done with it and I wasn’t out playing with them. But even during those periods of what I call “my hiatus” I…
Summertime Memories
Working in the world of education, even on the fringe like I do, has its advantages, one of them being summer vacation. While we have the option to work during the summer, this year finds me taking the time off instead. And it finds me thinking of things to do for the next two months…
The Little Barbershop On The Corner
I don’t think I have ever mentioned it, but in “real life” I am a school bus driver. It’s a great gig that not only allows me to help pay the bills around here but also allows for plenty of free time for other endeavors such as writing, music, etc. It also allows for me…
The Old Man Told Me
Once upon a time, when I was still a paramedic and we’d just finished a particularly unusual call, I remarked to the E.R. doctor that someday I was going to write a book about what it’s like in that world. “Honey, they’ll never believe it,” she said. And I know now that she was right.…
New ITOT Themed Merchandise Available!
“On the other side of them, at the end of the table, sat Gary and Rachel. Gary made a good living producing and selling his home brews and other spirits, building up a family-run business that kept them all busy.” – Excerpt from In Times of Trouble: Crossroads ****** Please enjoy this recent news story…
A Cast Of Characters: The Women
Perhaps one of the bigger challenges for a writer is developing characters of the opposite sex and making them convincing. In the first book, this wasn’t too difficult because many of the secondary characters, both male and female, are kinda one-dimensional. They serve more in a supportive role. One exception would be Ruby Fisher, who…
A Cast Of Characters
One of the challenges of any story is to create characters that make the reader feel something. For the good guys, you want the reader to be invested enough to cheer them on when they win or perhaps shed a tear when they die. For the bad guys, you want someone who is despicable enough…
Chris’s Picks For Post-Apocalyptic Reading Fun
I don’t just write post-apocalyptic fiction, I’m also an avid reader. And by “avid” I mean that I read a lot of it. I’m not entirely sure what draws me to the genre so much. Perhaps in part it’s because one gets to imagine mankind living outside of what is considered “normal.” You know, the…
The Crow
I don’t normally write poetry. To be honest, I don’t get it, but every once in a while something comes to me fast and I’ve no choice but to write it the way it wants to be. One morning several winters ago, I finally got around to shoveling the driveway. Sure I could have fired…