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Today’s Tip focuses on creating three-dimensional scenes. Writing Tip for Today: How can we craft 3-D scenes? The Heart of Character Begin by creating a strong POV character. Give this person strong emotions, attitudes and wants. I once had a student whose character, in midlife crisis. The character drifted aimlessly across the pages—because that’s what […]
In a culture that has promoted being “nice,” remember to keep your protagonists squirming as you hold their feet to the fire. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips to keep tension building as you force protagonists to squirm: Make Goals Count If your protagonist isn’t passionate about the story goal, readers will likely […]
Fiction writers sometimes mistakenly think that story “stakes” only apply to mysteries or thrillers. Yet every story must have stakes that are important to the character and to the readers. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s discuss how you might raise the stakes of your story. Wider Circle If your story feels ordinary, raising the stakes […]
A common problem for fiction writers is we can confuse stories with situations. Here are some thoughts on how to tell the difference. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s discuss stories and situations and their importance to fiction writing. What Is Situation? We can write about a situation and still not tell a story. The TV […]
As we work on a novel-in-progress, we can lose sight of the stakes our character faces in order to achieve a goal. Writing Tip for Today: What are some ways to increase a novel’s stakes? Why it Matters Your character’s motivation for pursuing a goal (and your logic for writing it in story form) depends […]
To all my wonderful writers and followers: Yesterday, December ninth, 2024, my husband Brad of nearly 47 years passed away of a massive stroke. He was a courageous Marine to the end. Today, I’m repeating an oldie but goodie for all who write stories, long or short. Fiction is a little like knitting: most people […]
When writing fiction, conflict is often at the top of the must-do list. Conflict makes us think of action: the bad guy chasing, the hero fighting his way out of a jam. Yet a quieter kind of conflict can create more tension that a space war scene. Writing Tip for Today: How can creating emotional […]
You craft your story or novel, paying special attention to developing your character. While this is great, the bottom line in fiction and memoir is that character does not drive a story. Conflict drives a story. Writing tip for Today: Let’s take a look at dramatic tension in fiction or memoir: What is Dramatic Tension? […]
Unforgettable stories and characters must be more than some quirky or autobiographical details. If you give your lead character the right kind of conflict, readers will stay glued to the page. Writing Tip for Today: Not all fictional conflict is created equal. Here are some tips for writing effective conflict: So What? In fiction we […]
Do you have work that has languished in a drawer or been rejected? I have at least three novels that are sitting around. Instead of immediately self-publishing or throwing the pages into the fire, it could be time to take a second look at the protagonist. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some ways to […]