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writing craft

Outline Now to Save Time Later

Discovery writing can be fun, and there is a certain enticement to the idea of telling yourself the story for the first time at the same time as you write it for your audience.  But if you are having trouble finishing projects, or you want to boost your productivity to finish projects faster you really […]

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Writing Craft - Books!

Let’s talk books!  Specifically writing craft books.  As writers, wanting to improve our art is natural, and learning from the insights – and the mistakes – of others is one of the quickest ways to do that. It’s no surprise that my own writing manual is my favorite.  Obviously, it reflects the way my mind […]

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Making Us Care

I’ve been talking to a lot of people lately about book openings, specifically what you need to accomplish in the first ten pages of your manuscript.  To prologue or not to prologue?  Do you need to set up the scale of the world, or give details on the science?  Should you start with an action scene? These are […]

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DAWG

Publishing professionals often say they are looking for stories with high stakes – but story stakes can be a difficult concept to understand, especially if you are writing a story where a person’s journey or a relationship forms the crux of the story. Are the characters’ personal stakes enough? Even if you’re writing in a […]

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A 15 Day Journey

I decided to do a writing challenge on Instagram, where you were supposed to explore different aspects of your writing practice/writing life.  I though the results were interesting, especially the way the prompts built on each other.  I know not everyone is on Instagram, so I compiled the Insta segments into one long diary-style post.  […]

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The Power of Lists

I’ve talked before about the power of What If questions when it comes to creativity.  What I want to talk about today is related: the power of making lists. Lists force you to move past the first idea that pops into your head in answer to a What If question.  When I get stuck, I […]

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Antagonists Who Aren’t Villains

Does every story need a villain? There is a big difference between a villain and an antagonist.  A villain wants to impart physical or emotional pain to your story’s protagonist.  An antagonist is simply at odds with your protag.  Which means a villain is by definition an antagonist – but only some antagonists are villains. […]

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