Creativity
Plotting Your Story
You often begin plotting your story with little in mind—a powerful image or an emotion that we want to capture, a clever idea for a twist.
You often begin plotting your story with little in mind—a powerful image or an emotion that we want to capture, a clever idea for a twist.
How many new writers take the proper care with their words? How many truly listen?
Every new writer, and quite a few old ones, is familiar with that sinking feeling that happens when you start a new tale and wonder, “Where do I begin?”
THE ONE WITH ALL THE LISTS When I was in college, I wrote a story and—on the advice of my professor—entered it into a competition.
As a writer, I know that reviews can help, but they don’t make or break sales.
5 Ways to Know You’ve Got a Good Scene Many times as an editor, I will look at a scene and ask myself: “Does this
Your character will need to come from somewhere, and will be strongly influenced by family, friends, national agendas, religious leaders, and so on. In short, your character is, to some degree, partly a product of a much larger milieu.
When you’re describing a setting, it’s important to bring the scene to life. Part of bringing a scene to life, though, is to explore how your character feels about the setting.
Every so often, I will be writing along on a tale (often with a new novel), and suddenly find myself “stuck.” I can’t seem to write another word.
Many new writers struggle with characterization. If you’re trained in the literary mainstream, you’re taught that stories are about characters. In other words, the character is the “focus” of the story. That’s simply not true. Some stories do focus on characters, but many of the best tales don’t.
Wait, before you go…
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