Today, I’m guest posting over on The Write Conversation, with the post “Your Scene’s Not Working? Maybe the Lighting Is Wrong?.” Here’s an excerpt: Of all the many story aspects authors have to keep track of, why in heaven’s name should lighting be up there at the top of our list? That’s something movie directors have […]
July 23, 2014 by 41 Comments NarrativeIs Your Story’s Voice Turning Away Readers?
A story’s voice is always a hot topic among writers. What is it? How does it work? How can you get one? The difficulty in teaching about a story’s voice is that it’s one of those “you know it when you see it” things. Recently, I encountered a powerful example of voices that work—and voices […]
June 11, 2014 by 97 Comments Point of View3 Ways You Can Use a First-Person Narrator to Tell a Better Story
Using a first-person narrator is tricky and should be attempted only by the most experienced hand. In-house editors know this, which is why they no doubt cringed when they saw the opening chapter of my new release The Cat Lady’s Secret. Not only is it in first-person, it’s in present tense. To make matters worse (to make […]
June 1, 2014 by 58 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 30: Describing Character Movements
Incorrectly describing character movements ranks surprisingly high among common writing mistakes. Within the confines of a story, a character can do only three things: he can think, he can talk, and he can move. Out of the three, the first two lend themselves most gracefully to written literature, since words are their very foundation. Movement, […]
February 12, 2014 by 61 Comments DialogueHow to Avoid the “As You Know, Bob” Trope in Dialogue
Among writers, the “as you know, Bob” trope has become almost something of a joke. But let me tell you, this isn’t any joking matter! “As you know, Bob” refers to the clumsy technique of filling readers in on basic story details through dialogue exposition by having two characters who already know the facts explain […]
December 18, 2013 by 29 Comments NarrativeIn-Jokes in Fiction Writing: Do’s and Don’ts
In-jokes in fiction writing are something authors should consider when trying to strike the right balance between cleverness and clarity. These little nods to shared knowledge—whether between characters or between author and reader—can be delightful Easter eggs that deepen the audience’s experience, especially in a series. However, when handled carelessly, they can also break immersion […]
December 1, 2013 by 45 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes: Weak Character Voice
Voice. It’s one of those elusive elements in fiction that everyone talks about—and no one can quite define. We all nod sagely when agents and editors harp on it, but secretly we’re hoping no one asks us to explain how to actually create it. And just when we think we’ve figured it out for ourselves […]
October 13, 2013 by 38 Comments NarrativeAre You Benefiting From the Intimacy of Pronouns?
Pronouns are those clever little inventions that allow us to replace nouns and avoid clunky repetition. How awkward would it be if we had to mention our character Col. Daniel Fitzgerald the Elephant Trainer by name five times in one paragraph? Thanks to the pronoun, we only have to mention him once at the beginning […]
September 11, 2013 by 24 Comments Writing LifeTwo Ways to Quickly Deal With Little Plot Holes
Have you ever written plot details that didn’t make sense? I’m not talking about big plot holes, just little plot holes that seem necessary in order to keep the story moving. For example, maybe there was a little lapse of logic in a character’s actions or in the factual representation of something—because, hey, you needed […]
September 8, 2013 by 28 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes: Animate Body Parts
If you’re including animate body parts in your prose, you might be writing a horror story and not even know it! Picture this: body parts scattered all over the room. We’re talking a regular massacre. But it gets worse. These aren’t just any ol’ body parts. They’re . . . aliiiiive! What’s that, you say? […]
