You’re a writer. What do you use? Words. Words are your most frequently used tool. Make friends with them. Caress them. Fondle them. Throw them against the wall. Whatever you do, use them. Get a dictionary. Make sure you’re using the right one. I recommend Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Would you build a brick wall...
Part of being a writer is knowing what to dramatize and what to leave out. Wait. Did I say to leave something out? Why, yes I did. I’ve touched on it before, but I see it time and again in the pages I edit. You don’t need to mention every detail, only the important...
Does your story have milestone scenes or does it wander all over the place? Milestone scenes serve a specific function in a story and support the structure. These are the points in your story where new information comes in and changes things up. Maybe the tension grows, or the stakes are higher or the...
Do you still grow and improve with each book you write? You should. Each book should improve your storytelling skills. Every time you stretch those plot muscles, they should get stronger. Every time you get edits back marking the same things over and over, you should learn and adapt so you don’t make those...
When writing your scenes, don’t forget to use all five senses. It’s so easy to just use the visual. She saw the wind whipping through the trees. Bill saw the car flip and land on its roof, spinning gradually to a stop against the hydrant. But what about the other senses? She saw the...
Where your scene takes place is, in many ways, as important as the scene itself. It sets the mood, the tone. The environment your characters are in can contrast sharply with what’s going on or add to the emotion. Perhaps Penny’s boyfriend is breaking her heart at the carnival, contrasting with the gaiety all...
Remember in kindergarten when you got to bring an item for show and tell? You got to show your possession and tell your classmates all about it. Well, in writing, it’s a bit different. When we show something to the reader, we’re trusting them to fill in some of the blanks. We’re letting them...
Timing is everything. When you’re planning the publication date of your book, make sure you leave enough time for revision, editing, proofing, cover design, and formatting. None of these things should be rushed. In fact, it’s better to have scheduled extra time and be ready ahead of your date than to find yourself crunched...
I often come across repetitive summarizing in stories as I edit. It’s okay to do this from time to time in a book, especially if the plot is complex, there’s a mystery going on, or there are multiple characters the reader has to follow. A character summary is best done in the form of...
So Monday I talked about beginnings, today I’m going to talk about endings. With the popularity of book series, especially, endings are really important. With a series, not only do you have the over reaching series arc, but you have the story arc for each book. I often see authors who want to leave...
