Keeping your characters engaged with the story keeps readers engaged with it, too. Whenever something significant happens in the story, readers expect the characters to sit up, notice, and process […]
Writing Strategy: The progress report Read More »
The scene structure of goal-driven scenes is akin to the classic joke setup, “A _____ and a _____ walk into a bar …” A _____ and a _____ walk into
Scene Structure: Common Goal-Driven Scene Pitfalls Read More »
When you need your sword and shield just to confront the editing process, something’s amiss. A battle for the soul of your story and writing is a sure sign that
The Write Chemistry: Find your ideal editor Read More »
Whether you’re self-publishing your novel or trying to vault to the head of the slush pile, it’s generally true that commercial-quality books are supported by commercial-quality production. Hiring skilled, experienced
What’s involved in editing your novel? Read More »
Skillful scene openings involve more than a provocative opening hook. A smooth opening ushers readers into the scene without immersion-breaking confusion or disorientation. The first technique helps you judge the
Skillful scene openings for fiction Read More »
We’ve all read stories where the characters didn’t seem to be doing what a reasonable person would do in that situation. Heck, they’re not even doing what an unreasonable person
Will readers swallow your plot? Read More »
If you’re all about the credo “move fast and break things,” you may feel confident diving from writing into self-revision and then editing. But if you like to get the
Book coaching vs. editing: What’s the difference? Read More »
Action and reaction—everything in a story depends on what the characters do about whatever the story pits against them. Stiff, disconnected, or missing character reactions snap the chain of cause
3 action-reaction misfires that flatten your writing Read More »
Should you—could you—be getting feedback on your book from peers or readers, or is it time to get professional eyes on your manuscript? My latest post as a resident writing
Feedback or Editing: What sort of input to get when Read More »
Vocabulary and the way a character speaks are the outer layer of character voice—the icing on the cake. Instead of trying to build character voice from the outside in, get under the
The secret to authentic character voice Read More »
