Coincidences are awesome. In real life. But coincidences in fiction? Unfortunately, the same rules don’t apply. In fact, a poor use of coincidences in your story can make or break your readers’ ability to suspend their disbelief and enjoy your plot. In real life, coincidences are (usually) cool. They’re inexplicable, seeming freaks of destiny that […]
December 21, 2015 by 59 Comments Plotting Your NovelCoincidences in Fiction: What You’re Doing Wrong
November 9, 2014 by 57 Comments Writer's HelpHow Much Realism Does Your Novel REALLY Need?
Ever had a critique partner or editor tell you, “This isn’t realistic”? It’s a valid complaint. Novels are facsimiles of real life. They must mimic that life with enough realism to allow readers to suspend their disbelief and invest themselves in characters and plot scenarios that far exceed their own personal experiences. In order to connect […]
July 30, 2014 by 27 Comments ForeshadowingForeshadowing’s #1 Job in Your Story
This week’s video reveals a simple but often overlooked function of foreshadowing that all writers should be aware of. Video Transcript: As you may have noticed (or maybe not) I’ve taken almost a six-month break from the video posts. So starting this week, I’m pleased to say that I plan to return to my old […]
December 18, 2013 by 29 Comments NarrativeIn-Jokes in Fiction Writing: Do’s and Don’ts
In-jokes in fiction writing are something authors should consider when trying to strike the right balance between cleverness and clarity. These little nods to shared knowledge—whether between characters or between author and reader—can be delightful Easter eggs that deepen the audience’s experience, especially in a series. However, when handled carelessly, they can also break immersion […]
October 13, 2013 by 38 Comments NarrativeAre You Benefiting From the Intimacy of Pronouns?
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 28, 2013 by 65 Comments ForeshadowingHow to Use Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a necessary part of any well-executed story. So what is it and how to use foreshadowing to best effect in your story? If we sift foreshadowing down to its simplest form, we could say it prepares readers for what will happen later. At first glance, this may seem counter-intuitive. Why would we want […]
March 24, 2013 by 23 Comments Writing LifeWhy the Reader Is Your Co-Writer
No story is created by one person. Written by one person, yes. But if the only imagination involved is the writer’s, the story will never be anything more than black marks on the page. A book is just a doorstop until readers lift the cover, recognize and process the words, and then use those words to bring the story […]
August 26, 2012 by 42 Comments Plotting Your Novel5 Ways You’re Blocking Readers From Suspension of Disbelief
Unlike non-fiction or memoir, the whole point of fiction is that it isn’t true. Or rather, that’s half the point. The other half is that this untruth is constructed in the pattern of truth, in order to shine a light on the reality of our lives. As per Picasso: Art is the lie that tells the truth. Readers […]
July 17, 2011 by 47 Comments Novel EndingsDeus Ex Machina: Latin for “Don’t Do This in Your Story”
By the time you reach the end of your book, you’re sometimes out of steam, sometimes out of ideas, sometimes sick of your story, and sometimes just plain wrong about how to end it. As a result, you might find yourself walking through yellow caution tape into the pothole of deus ex machina before you […]
February 6, 2011 by 49 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes: Poor Cause and Effect
As creators of story worlds, authors are privileged with a certain amount of inside information. We almost always know what’s going to happen to the characters before an event actually occurs. We understand cause and effect intuitively. The readers and the main character might not have seen that left hook coming from the antagonist, but […]
