You’ve seen it too many times: the character posed in front of a mirror, examining himself or herself so that the reader will know what they look like. For cryin’ […]
On Writing
Posts about the craft of writing
4 Tips for Creating Subplots
A subplot is a plot within your main plot, one that affects the secondary character(s). Here are four basic points to keep in mind when creating a subplot: Is the character […]
Writing Basics: The Main Idea
Theme is a big problem for a lot of writers. Many of them even say their stories don’t have a theme at all. Theme is the main idea of your […]
5 Tips for the Holiday Writer
It’s the holiday season already. We’re all rushing around, trying to find the perfect gifts, cooking the best meals and going to party after party. For those of us who […]
Stay Active
No, I don’t mean exercise – though that’s always helpful to get your brain focused and increase your creativity! I’m talking about active writing. Active writing starts with voice. Passive […]
Writing Basics: Conflict
One of the five elements of a good story is conflict. Conflict is any struggle between people or things in a story. Here are some of the basic types of […]
5 Steps to a Great Book Blurb
Amanda Patterson writes a mean blog over at Writers Write! Here’s her method of writing a great book blurb. She calls it SCOPE: S=Setting. Detail where and when the story takes […]
Find Your Voice
Voice is a hard one for many beginning writers. What exactly is a writer’s voice, and how do you get that unique one that all of the agents and editors […]
The Basics: Setting
Setting is another area where beginning writers have trouble. They may not fully understand the concept, or they might not have completely thought out their particular setting. Setting is not […]
5 Tips for a Great Opening Chapter
How are you going to grab that agent’s or editor’s attention and make them want to request your entire manuscript? Here are some tips. Make your characters three-dimensional – have […]