Where to Place Your Dialog Tags
So there are the four ways that you use tags. Try to use them artfully. Pay attention to the natural pauses in your story, the beats. Those will help you figure out where to place the tags.
Is it a Good Time to Write?
As the Covid pandemic hit last year, I head a lot of doom-and-gloom from authors about how it would destroy the industry. Printers closed down, bookstores were put out of commission. Of course it is still a good time to write!
Improve Your Dialogue
Given this, an author should feel free to mix things up. Use said and asked when you feel that they are appropriate, especially when sentences are spoken in neutral tones.
Be An Original Writer
But there are lots of other ways to be original. You can be original in your language—in your word choice, the way that you describe things, and in your metaphors.
Hurting Your Characters
So learn to “put the hurt” on your characters. It will make your readers empathize with them more fully. But be careful when you show how your character reacts to that pain.
How Real Do You Want Your World to Be?
When I approach creating a world for a story, I ask myself, “How real do I want this world to be?”
How to Reach Your Writing Zone, Part 4
When I go on writing retreats, I often track my progress. I’ve done this for the past ten years, and I can show you exactly how it grows.
How to Reach Your Writing Zone, Part 3
This is commonly referred to as the writing zone. I spoke about the importance of getting rid of all external and internal distractions, and I suggested that you need to move into your writing zone slowly.
New Treatment for Writers’ Block
What intrigued me about TMS is that it was also being used elsewhere. Interestingly, the treatment has proven helpful for writers who suffer from classic “writers’ block.”
How to Reach Your Writing Zone, Part 2
Getting into the zone often requires you to make repeated attempts to focus deeper and deeper upon your work. Indeed, now that I think about it, I can recall a couple of occasions when I found myself carried away in my work at a time when I already felt physically and emotionally exhausted.