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 […]
Sometimes I have an idea for a piece of writing (the topic for a blog post, for instance, or the main character relationships for a short story) but then I get stuck on developing the meat of the idea. It’s like – I know the idea is there in my brain. I had an idea […]
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 […]
Whether it is your first time trying to write a novel in November, or if you’re a veteran looking for ways to make the process go smoother, don’t overlook the benefits of planning in advance. If you come into NaNo with a reasonable idea of who your characters are, where they live, and where your […]
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 […]
The Roanoke Public Library is having their Teen Summer Reading Program this year with lots of events and of course reading! I have prepared a one-hour presentation for the event on Plotting Your Way Through a Short Story. Here’s a little of what they said: We librarians love a good challenge and as such, we’ve […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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. […]
