This post is by Adrienne Giordano. As writers, we often face deleting our beloved words. Words we spend an excruciating amount of time crafting, and sweating over. Yes, you have to kill your darlings or they’ll destroy the pace of the story. I like to think I write a fairly lean book, but my editor for my upcoming romantic […]
October 23, 2011 by 37 Comments Novel Endings5 Elements of a Resonant Closing Line
As important as the opening line may be to convincing someone to read your book, the closing line is the one that determines how well your story works—and whether or not readers will find your story a satisfying experience. Last month, we talked about the 5 Elements of a Riveting Opening Line, and today we’re […]
September 21, 2011 by 41 Comments Outlining Your NovelBenefits of Outlining Your Novel
Welcome to the last installment in our series of video/audio trailers, offering a sneak peek into the first chapter of Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success. Be sure to sign up for the last of our mini prize giveaways, before next week’s Grand Prize, worth over $400. Leave a comment to register for […]
July 13, 2011 by 25 Comments ForeshadowingKeep Slow Scenes Moving With Tension and Foreboding
Not every scene in your stories can be set at a fever pitch of excitement. Just like your own life, the lives of your characters need to balance the tense, dangerous, exciting moments with moments of calm reflection, everyday activities, and seemingly safe retreats. Without these slower scenes, your book runs the risk of feeling […]
June 10, 2011 by 17 Comments Plotting Your Novel3 Easy (or Easier) Ways to Build Suspense
Recently, while writing a short story, I encountered the problem of its being too short. My editor complimented the storyline and structure but indicated something about the writing was missing. It was too short, too bland, too summative and passive instead of being descriptive and active. Finally, I found all these things centered on one […]
May 18, 2011 by 35 Comments CharactersWhy You Should Spend More Time on Character Development Than Action
Authors sometimes feel pressured to dive right into the action of their stories—at the expense of important character development. Because the last thing we want to do is write a boring story, we sometimes overreact by piling on explosions, fight sequences, and high-speed car chases to the point we’re unable to spend important time developing […]
February 2, 2011 by 13 Comments NarrativeControl Your Speed, Control Your Pacing
Controlling and influencing your readers’ experience of your story is one of your most important jobs as an author. One of the most trustworthy ways to accomplish this is through pacing. In a sense, pacing in a story is like the soundtrack in a movie. Like the ominous music before a murder or the swell […]
July 14, 2010 by 24 Comments Chapter BreaksHow to Use Scene Breaks to Cut Your Story’s Fat
Avoiding excessive word count is a weighty consideration for any writer, but most particularly in order to keep unnecessary fat from weighing down your stories. Here’s a quick trick for using scene breaks to both cut the fat and make it seem like you’ve cut the fat. Fat takes many shapes, everything from repetitive dialogue to […]
May 19, 2010 by 27 Comments Chapter BreaksHow Long Should a Scene Be? Depends on the Pacing
Did you know that writing shorter sentences during action scenes contributes to a sense of tension and speed? Turns out this simple little trick that can also help you figure out how long a scene should be. Controlling paragraph, sentence, and even word length is a common and easy way to affect the pacing of your […]
January 31, 2010 by 54 Comments Story Settings4 Setting Questions That Will Deepen Your Characters
In the best of stories, setting is an inherent key, not just in bringing to life the scenery, but in helping you deepen your characters. As such, it isn’t something any author can afford to overlook. Answer the following setting questions to find the weak points in your setting construction and help you use it to […]
