Showing, Telling, Making
the adage “Show, don’t tell” is used to beg for more information. Yet I’ve always felt that that advice is . . . imprecise.
Spectacular Settings
When I’m looking at a story, one of the simple things I look at is setting. There are so many aspects to setting, so let’s just look at a few
Being Prolific
How to make a living as an author. Being prolific is not something I think about, but it is something I can teach.
Imagination
You may not realize it, but the most common problem with stories is that they’re tepid.
Working with a Cast of Millions
I’ve mentioned before that many bestselling stories share a common trait: they appeal to broad audiences—old and young, male and female.
When to Stop Polishing a Manuscript
Many new writers don’t know when to stop polishing a manuscript and move on to the next. Part of the reason for that might have to do with Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway and His Legacy Years ago, a writer asked Hemingway, “How many times should I rewrite a manuscript?” Now, Hemingway hated dumb questions, so he […]
Attributions in Dialog
Writing clear dialog isn’t hard to do, but many new writers—and some old ones—make some pretty simple mistakes. Here are a few things to be wary of and that you should know.
Performing Your Tale
Many writers will recommend that as you edit your tale, you do a final read-through so that you can see how the story sounds.
Payoff
I’ve said before that every story should have an emotional payoff. Yet far too often, I read stories where the payoff is weaker than it should be, or it isn’t there at all.
Three Mistakes in Tone
One of the most common problems I see with new writers is a “mistake in tone.” You know what I mean if you’ve ever played in a band. A new kid comes in, you’re trying to play a song, and he blats out a sour note on a trumpet. The same thing happens in writing.