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When drafting a scene, an essay or article, writers often create rabbit holes or tangents that don’t work. Here’s how to fix them. Writing Tip for Today: How can writers spot rabbit holes in their drafts and learn to either delete or move them? Drafting Creatively When you embark on a writing project, try not […]
Writing a memoir continues to be the genre of choice for many writers. Writing Tip for Today: If you’re writing a memoir, here are some tips: What’s Not Memoir A memoir in written form is a lot of things, but also NOT some things. When writing a memoir, first be aware that a family history, […]
Writers everywhere should know about the latest author marketing scams and how to identify and resist them. Writing Tip for Today: The advent of AI has led to clever and updated ways that marketers and others try to scam writers and authors. Here are some signs of scams and how to avoid them: Rise of […]
In the late summer, many writers get discouraged after their submissions, queries or conference meetups don’t go as planned. Here are tips to get through the summer writing doldrums. Writing Tip for Today: When you’re a discouraged writer, the answer is write more words. Wordcount vs. Keepers Every writer who wishes to be published faces […]
Apologies for the late post! I was recovering from a Sunday book event for Carry Me Through, my new devotional. For some writers, an ear for good dialogue seems to come naturally. For the rest of us, lots of practice and some writing tips can make all the difference. Writing Tip for Today: Here […]
Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, memoir or news articles, giving readers a sense of place means that you must build your story’s world. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some ways to make your story world more engaging for readers: The Where of Story In any fictional scene, “where” is usually called setting. Readers want […]
Writers are advised to write fast. Writers are also told to write slow. What’s better, writing fast or slow? Writing Tip for Today: Let’s discuss the pros and cons of writing fast or slow. Fast Writing Over my writing career of about thirty years, I’ve had teachers or editors or mentors who told me that […]
The reader needs to know where they are in every chapter and scene you write. Writing Tip for Today: It isn’t enough to tell about the location at the beginning of the story/chapter. Ground your reader at intervals so you maintain a clear vivid picture for the reader at all times. Movies give you a […]
The only time I start to get writer’s block is in summer—that’s when I’ll be writing poetry. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s talk about 3 ways to outwit writer’s block by writing poetry. Distill Emotions If writer’s block hits, some recommend writing nonsense, others say write a journal to get the creative juices flowing. I […]
When we write from any character’s POV (Point of View) it’s tempting to record the story as if that character is a camera, observing life. But your character is not a camera. Writing Tip for Today: Here are tips for a more effective way to guide your character and the POV: What’s the Character’s Reality? […]
