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 […]
April 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment Chapter BreaksAre Your Scene Breaks Rude?
Aside from making certain chapter and scene breaks are scintillating enough to keep readers reading, most writers don’t give scene breaks too much thought. But we should. Chapter and scene breaks can often show a lack of courtesy from the author toward the readers. And if shunning those good manners your mother drilled into you […]
October 5, 2011 by 41 Comments CharactersDon’t Confuse Readers With Inconsistent Character Names
One area in which authors often create unnecessary reader confusion is in their usage of inconsistent character names. Sometimes the simplest things in a story can create distance between reader and writer. The last thing any author can afford to do is push readers away from the story by confusing them. We want readers to […]
