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Almost five weeks ago, I signed off due to some major surgery. I’m still recovering but thought I could put up a few tips on corralling your writing life. Writing Tip for Today: How do you get back to your writing life after life happens? Be There Writers who sit for regular sessions are often […]
When you’re more than halfway through your story and you reach a critical chapter, do you recap (summarize) or do you act it out? The pace at which your story unfolds boils down to summary vs. action. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s discuss any story’s basic needs at different points of a scene, chapter or […]
Writing tension into every line sounds simple. But when writers struggle with this idea, the results can sink their effort. Writing Tip for Today: What is tension and what is its role in writing? Uneasy Suspense Tension is also called uneasy suspense. Most writers understand that the climax needs tension, but to be effective tension […]
If you write fiction or memoir, your work is more effective when it can tell a story. Stories are more effective when they are largely told in scenes. Writing Tip for Today: What are some scene writing must-haves? Elements Scenes bring a story to life. Readers crave action and want to experience the scene as […]
To all my faithful readers–I’m a bit nerve-wracked today, as tomorrow I’ll go under the knife in shoulder surgery. My circumstances are a tad unusual–I don’t have the use of my nonsurgical arm, so typing will be difficult for a few weeks while I recover. Writing Tip for Today: Instead of my usual tips, today […]
On the day the world rang out with alleluias, I was hollow and empty, as if I couldn’t get all the way out of the tomb. Easter was cold and rainy, in more ways than one. Youngest son didn’t appear until after four PM. My daughter was sick. Middle was MIA altogether. Eldest showed up […]
Fiction and memoir writers everywhere grapple with the all-important story question: What does my character want more than anything? Writing Tip for Today: Here are a few tips for defining your character’s main goal: Be the Character Most good actors say they must learn to be inside a character’s skin to be convincing to the […]
When a new character comes on stage, it’s important to describe that person right away. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s discuss ways to introduce a character. Enter, Stage Right Have you ever read a story where a new character comes on stage without any description? Whether we’re aware or not, we automatically want to assign […]
As writers, we are managers who must control the pace or rate of revelation to readers. Foreshadowing and withholding are two techniques for your toolbox. Writing Tip for Today: What are Withholding and Foreshadowing and how can we use them effectively? Rate of Revelation As your readers’ manager, you control how much information readers obtain […]
Writing is rewriting, the saying goes. And self-editing is a must-have skill for good rewriting. Writing Tip for Today: What are some strategies for developing your self-editing skills? Read, Plan, Draft Self-editing skills take time and practice. Sure, some seem to have inborn talent for storytelling. The rest of us can learn to craft better […]
