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As a writing coach, I talk a lot about emotion, but I believe it’s true—if your readers aren’t feeling something, they aren’t reading. In ways, writing emotions can be like the way we change our clocks for Daylight Savings Time: emotions in stories must fall back, then spring forward. Writing Tip for Today: How do […]
Rewriting your scenes will require attention to each chapter’s ending scene. At the end of every chapter, you need your readers to turn the page. Reader engagement will be higher if your last scene in a chapter pulls readers to the next chapter. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s examine a few ways you can improve […]
You’ve polished your 500 word synopsis, carefully noting word count, genre and main characters. You’ve hit on major plot points and summarized the entire story line. What now? Query, Blurb and Pitch writing awaits you. Writing Tip for Today: If you plan to agent shop, you’ll need a few more tools, including a solid query […]
Recent feedback from a writer concerning a novel that I’m drafting said, “One character is more interesting than the other.” Since I’m writing a rotating Point of View, both are protagonists. The comment told me that one character was not sympathetic enough. Writing Tip for Today: How can we make our characters more sympathetic? Likable, […]
As writers, we strive to think of unique characters in great settings who have original reactions to problems. We need our stories to stand out, to be fresh, not the same old. All well and good, but it’s equally important to tap into at least one universal truth.Writing Tip for Today: As you begin a […]
I hit my head on the cupboard door yesterday and I’ve had a headache since. That’s my excuse for not writing on WIP today. Sounds lame, doesn’t it? Well, what’s your excuse? For not writing, I mean. Hitting my head also made me very mad because the head incident made me slightly nauseated and dingy, […]
In fiction, your main character or protagonist is the center hub, around which your story turns. Most of us have heard that this character must be likeable, but how does the writer accomplish this? With thanks to Ray Obstfeld, (Fiction First-Aid), I’m going to broaden this target–your protagonist must be at least one of the […]
Last post I talked about conflict/tension/problems growing like an ocean wave, cresting at the climax. Inherent conflict and high stakes are necessary, but Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel, adds an interesting ingredient to the mix: an emotional “gut” appeal. According to Maass, “gut emotional appeal springs from the emotional situations that grab us in […]