I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that your story forces your character to experience some pretty deep emotions. They might fall in love, or undergo the agony of a family member’s death, or even be wracked by guilt. Whatever the case, how do you go about portraying those emotions so powerfully […]
December 26, 2010 by 33 Comments Story Settings7 Reasons Weather Is a Writer’s Friend
Ever since Edward Bulwer-Lytton slapped readers with his infamous “dark and stormy night” line, writers everywhere have been leery of misusing weather in their stories. After all, who among us wants a contest for the worst opening lines in fiction named after us? But avoiding weather altogether is a mistake of its own. Weather offers […]
October 10, 2010 by 17 Comments Dialogue6 Ways You Can Use Dialogue in Your Story
Dialogue is one of the hardest-working components in fiction—but only if you take full advantage of it. It’s easy enough to make your characters talk to each other and even relatively easy enough to make what they say interesting to readers. But if interesting is the only burden your dialogue is carrying, it’s not doing […]
July 25, 2010 by 30 Comments Writing InspirationWhap! Pow! Zing!—How Can You Tell if Your Story Has Emotional Resonance?
The magic ingredient in fiction is that special something that socks readers right in the gut and leaves them breathless with joy or sorrow (or maybe wabi-sabi, the Japanese view of beauty in imperfection). We’ve all read books that were perfectly executed, but somehow lacked that magic. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed the word craft […]
June 20, 2010 by 50 Comments Writing LifeLearn to Embrace Your Writing Ignorance
I’ve been telling stories since I was two years old. I’ve been writing stories since I was twelve. I have four published novels (and two more scheduled) to my name. I know enough about the craft to write this blog, numerous guest posts, a podcast, and eight writing how-to books and counting. Sounds like I’ve really […]
December 27, 2009 by 45 Comments Chapter Breaks10 Killer Chapter Breaks
Chapter breaks are do-or-die territory for novelists. You may be spinning a grand ol’ tale, full of fascinating characters, but if your chapter endings leave readers no reason to turn the page to find out what happens next, all your hard work on the other aspects of your story will be wasted. Not every chapter […]
November 22, 2009 by 52 Comments Novel EndingsHow to Kill a Character—And Avoid Hate Mail
Some of the most powerful stories in literature and cinema have a surprising common element: The death of a main character. At first glance, this would seem to be an instant turnoff. Why hang with a character for 300+ pages only to watch him get knocked off in the end? But the truth is, when […]
October 25, 2009 by 36 Comments Writing InspirationWant to Take Your Story to the Next Level? Punch Readers in the Gut!
Writing is not only an intellectual endeavor for me, it’s also very much a physical one. When I’m on to the right story, the right location, the right situation, the right theme, my body tells me. I feel a surge of excitement in my solar plexus that literally sends the message Yes yes yes! to […]
June 14, 2009 by 53 Comments Writer's HelpThe 5 Secrets of Grabbing Your Readers’ Emotions
Want to know the secrets of grabbing your readers’ emotions? For starters, let’s pretend I’m your reader–‘cuz I’m a hard sell. I’m not a very emotional person. Even when I feel deeply about something, it takes a lot to move me to tears. I can count on my fingers the stories that have made me […]
March 8, 2009 by 21 Comments ThemeThe Reason The Great Escape Is My All-Time Favorite Movie
My all-time favorite movie is the classic World War II film The Great Escape (1963), with Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough. How come? When you think about it, it’s really a strange war movie: hardly any violence, little action to speak of, and few references to the war itself. Yet every time I watch it, […]
