Today, I want to ask you a question. What is the single greatest contributing factor in bringing your prose to life? Since you’ve probably already read the title to this post, you probably already know the answer is specificity. So specificity—what exactly am I talking about, and why is it so great? What I’m talking […]
March 20, 2011 by 66 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes: Why Vague Writing Is Weak Writing
Vague writing is weak writing. Precision is the domain of the skilled and confident author. As the creator of your worlds and your characters, you will always have the ability to make statements of authority in your writing. After all, if you’re not the authority in your stories, who is? What this means is that […]
November 7, 2010 by 31 Comments Researching Your Novel4 Ways to Avoid Writing Dated Fiction
Conscientious writers work hard to get story details right. You want the language your characters use to reflect their lifestyles and personalities. You want their books, movies, magazines, and music to ring true in your recreations of the real world. And you need all the references and explanations of technology, style, and even health care […]
May 23, 2010 by 34 Comments DescriptionGenerality Is the Death of the Novel
Fiction is about specifics. In real life, you may get away with being ridiculously vague: “Gimme that thingamajig over there.” But the only reason this works is because the specifics are already staring both you and your listeners in the face. In fiction, however, you must hit the specifics and hit them hard. Years ago, […]
June 7, 2009 by 56 Comments DescriptionTwo Things Every Author Needs to Know About Using Brand Names in Fiction
Consumerism in fiction has become increasingly prominent in recent years. Powerhouse companies have gone from mere advertisements—commercials during television shows, billboards outside ballparks, joint advertisements with blockbuster movies—to what many people consider a blatant overuse and occasionally even abuse of product placement in sports coliseums, movies, TV shows, and even books, such as Lauren Weisburger’s best-selling […]
