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Use It or Lose It? Handling Feedback In a good critique group, writers handle feedback with better results when they “use it or lose it.” These writers adopt the suggestions that make sense for the work and let the rest fall to the wayside. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s discuss the feedback a writer might […]
Re-Writing Your Scene Part III In the last posts, we talked about assessing your scene’s purpose and how it will play if it is put into action. Now, let’s talk about re-writing your paragraphs and sentences to make the scene sparkle. Writing Tip for Today: What are some revision techniques for polishing a drafted scene? […]
Re-Writing Your Scene Last post we discussed rewriting the “Big Picture” aspects of a scene. If the big questions aren’t answered—the why, conflict and tension of the scene—the little stuff isn’t important. Except that the little things matter too. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s look at other elements of scene rewriting. Unpack the Action As […]
Three Ways to Edit Scenes It’s almost NaNoWriMo time, that glorious month when we can dash off 50k words and not criticize ourselves for any of them. Yet the morning after will come, and when it does, we’ll need our editing toolboxes to be in fine form. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s look at some […]
Scene Writing: Using Sequel to Heighten Emotion If you’ve been writing scenes for your fiction, you’ve probably heard the term sequel. Sequel indicates the spaces between the scene’s actions, where your character processes the last action. The character combines thought and emotion to decide what to do next. Writing Tip for Today: Here are […]
Writing a Theme that Resonates Three Ways When we write stories, we must connect with our readers. If we don’t, readers are unlikely to stick around—not everybody can be Nostradamus, whose cryptic quatrains often feel either prophetic or nonsensical. To connect our stories, line them with themes that awaken a deep response. Writing Tip for […]
Writing to Match Word Count A book-length work allows you to write as much or as little as you wish, but most periodicals limit word count. Adhering to a magazine or newspaper’s guidelines gives writers better chances at acceptance. How can you rewrite portions of your work to match a publication’s word count? Writing Tip […]
How to Write Killer Blurbs Blurbs are the brief summaries, usually on the back cover, that help readers want to buy your book. After seeing your title and book cover, most potential readers will flip the book over and read the back cover blub. Writing a killer blurb helps readers decide to buy and read […]
Writing Beats for Better Stories I used to be a pantster, that is I started with a character and a vague goal. These days, I’m becoming more inclined to map out main plot points or as they’re known now, beats. Plotting these major turning points helps me deepen my character and improves the story. Writing […]
Writing Extraordinary Characters Why write extraordinary characters? Readers crave characters that jump out at them in unique ways. Readers want larger-than-life characters that are unforgettable. Writing Tip for Today: How can you take your character from OK to Oh my!? Here are a few tips: Beyond Quirky Some writers think a quirky character—a person with […]
Linda has always been a daydreamer, artist and storyteller. In addition to doting on grandbabies, collecting too many cats, gardening and walking on the beach, she loves to write and to help writers develop their skills. [READ MORE…]
