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? […]
August 25, 2013 by 35 Comments ProseThe One Rule for Choosing Your Story’s Tone
Choosing your story’s tone can make or break your book. It will affect every single page you write. Tone guides readers in figuring how they’re supposed to view a story. Funny? Serious? Edgy? Sarcastic? Wielded with understanding, tone will help you create a more cohesive story and will pull readers that much deeper into the […]
May 24, 2013 by 24 Comments Prose3 Ways to Add Repetition That Pleases Readers
We all know to avoid “bad” repetition—our overused pet words, unintended echoing phrases, and repetitive sentence structure. But there’s also useful repetition that we can use to enhance our stories. Repetition can be used to reinforce a sense of unity or to supply readers with a satisfying feeling after tying up loose ends. Let’s look at three examples […]
April 7, 2013 by 66 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes: Overusing “Suddenly”
What’s one of the most overused and unnecessary words in a writer’s repertoire? Try “suddenly.” Now, at first glance, “suddenly” seems pretty innocuous. After all, it’s just a little adverb. It’s so commonplace, it’s almost invisible. And it’s important. Unlike so many useless modifiers, it tells readers exactly how some important action is happening. It […]
March 10, 2013 by 63 Comments ProseMotivation-Reaction Units: Cracking the Code of Good Writing
What’s the secret to good prose? What makes it work—not just on the aesthetic level of vivid and poetic word choices, but on the deeper and ultimately more important level of functionality? In short, is good writing just all luck and gut instinct—or is there a method authors can learn to create clear and powerful […]
September 21, 2012 by 8 Comments ProseUse Adverbs to Create Music for Your Readers’ Ears
The problem with modifiers in general, and adverbs in particular, is they are notorious tellers and a hindrance to good showing. Instead of telling us, “He stormed out of the room angrily,” show us by his actions how an angry man storms out of the room. Show us his clenched fists with white knuckles. Let us hear the boom of […]
September 19, 2012 by 27 Comments Prose3 Reasons to Cut Unnecessary Adverbs From Your Writing
Perhaps the most famous condemnation of adverbs is Mark Twain’s: If you see an adverb, kill it. And yet, the adverb still lives! I’m the first to admit the dreaded adverb still crops up in my work—both inadvertently and purposefully—just as I’m sure it shows up in yours. For that matter, it still makes frequent […]
August 24, 2012 by 10 Comments Editing Your NovelStrengthen Your Writing by Listening to Pet Peeves
When your writing has to answer to someone, you’re going to be faced with a number of annoying “suggestions” from your editors or clients. Even when your copy is grammatically impeccable, they request you change the word “comedic” to “comic” because of some professor they had in college! I received this request from a real editor. It’s nothing but […]
