Who’s There? Introducing Characters in a Scene
Have you ever walked into a room, thought you were alone, and then realized someone else was there? A little jarring, right? It’s unexpected and totally throws you. Well, you can do the same thing to your readers if you forget to let them know there are other characters in the scene besides the narrator.
Second Fiddle, Sweeter Music—Using Secondary Characters To Give Your Novel A Bigger Feel
Two things I love as a writer and a reader: deep, emotionally wrought stories, and authentic, rich characters.
Top Five Fast-Drafting Tips
Please help me welcome Ava Jae back to the lecture hall today. November is fast approaching, and for some, that means NaNo! So if you want to get a jump start on this years race to 50K, Ava has some great tips on fast drafting to share.
Let Toy Story Show You the Key to Subtle Character Development
This week’s video shows you how to make character development easier thanks to one fundamental rule.
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 44: Too Many Participle Phrases
Rushing to her computer, Katie tries not to spill her coffee. She is late to write a very important forty-fourth installment in the “Most Common Writing Mistakes” series.
The Fundamentals of Writing a Scene
When writing fiction (or even narrative nonfiction), scenes are microcosms of your larger plot. Each scene takes us into a crucial moment of your characters’ story and should engage both our emotions and our minds by creating real-time momentum or action.
2 Stammer Verbs to Avoid in Your Fiction
As a writer, you’ve probably heard the advice about avoiding passive voice and colorless verbs, such as is, was, went, and so on. But you may not be aware of what I call the “stammer verbs” that mar the novels of many budding authors.
Business of writing
This Is How You Use Facebook to Sell Books
I read the recent DBW piece “Why Facebook Cannot Help You Sell Books” with surprise, and I respectfully disagree with its contentions.