When looking for a new book to read, there are a couple quick tests I do to determine whether it seems like I can trust the author to know what they’re doing all book long. The first and most important of these tests usually requires just a quick glance across the first page to see […]
November 20, 2017 by 35 Comments NarrativeTips for How to Choose the Right Sentences
What is writing but choosing the right words in the right sentences in the right paragraphs in the right pages in the right chapters? But even though words and sentences are the smallest of integers within our storytelling, they’re actually one of the most complex. How do you choose the right sentences? Is it a process […]
November 13, 2017 by 25 Comments How to Become a Writer5 (Not-So-Little) Additions to the Great Novel-Writing Checklist
Learning how to write a successful novel is largely a matter of memorizing and mentally tracking the vast number of “parts” that make a story run. Honestly, this alone is sometimes the hardest part of the entire job. There’s a lot to remember—which is why, today, we’re going to look at the second part of our […]
April 24, 2017 by 58 Comments Description3 Ways to Make Your Writing More Visual
Written fiction is comparatively unique among art forms. Why? Because it isn’t visual. Unlike theater, dance, painting, sculpture, and photography, writing offers no inherent visual images. And yet, as any reader can tell you, reading a good story is a tremendously visual experience. This means you, as the writer, bear an important responsibility to make […]
April 3, 2017 by 89 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 58: Too Much Description
Sooner or later, most writers will get their hands slapped over description, whether it’s too much description or too little. The bad news is that this is a big deal in narrative fiction. Get the balance of your description wrong, and it could throw off your entire story. The good news is that once you understand how […]
October 19, 2016 by 89 Comments Narrative3 Ways Writers Can Instantly Spot Telling
Show, don’t tell is a broad concept, which is why one rule doesn’t cover it all. It’s subjective, and each telling instance found in your writing must be evaluated in context. Does this sentence sound like telling? Is this scene explaining too much? But if you look at only the text, you risk missing “told […]
April 15, 2016 by 93 Comments CharactersHow to Control Reader Reactions to Character Sins
Your protagonist just messed up. Big time. We’re talking unforgivable sins here. Now, these sins are totally necessary to your plot. There’s no way you can write them out of the story just because they’re dark. But… here’s the rub. What if you’ve pushed your readers too far? What if they can’t stomach your character anymore […]
August 5, 2015 by 25 Comments ForeshadowingDid You Know “Show vs. Tell” Matters in Foreshadowing Too?
This week’s video offers two examples of how tell vs. show in foreshadowing can weaken the overall effect on your story—and what you can do instead. For the last five weeks, we’ve been exploring all kinds of important storytelling tricks we can learn from Steven Spielberg’s bravura classic Jurassic Park. We’ve come to the end […]
April 1, 2015 by 50 Comments CharactersShow What Your Character Is Feeling and Thinking (and Do It Like a Writer, Not a Director)
This week’s video offers some thoughts on less-than-effective techniques you might using to show what your character is feeling and thinking and how to avoid falling into the pitfalls of our movie-saturated culture. Video Transcript: True story. My critique partners and editors are always all over me for overusing the words “breathe” and “look.” Like […]
September 7, 2014 by 32 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 33: Telling Important Scenes, Instead of Showing
“Show, don’t tell” is arguably one of the most important principles of writing fiction. It’s the foundation of all of dramatic storytelling. “Telling” may get the bones of a scene across. But “showing” is what brings it to life. So it should come as no surprise that failing to show important scenes in your story […]
