I often look for similarities in great stories to see what works. One aspect that I see very often is that powerful stories resolve “the loneliness problem.” Normally, we are never told that our protagonist is lonely, but it’s there in the background: Scrooge is miserly old man in a
Remember when you were young and your mother or father read a favorite story to you over and over? Or do you recall that one book or movie that you wanted to read or watch again and again? Most people have a few all-time favorites. As a toddler, for me
Ernest Hemingway sometimes compared writing to a boxing match, and in a certain sense he was right. Whenever you step into a boxing ring, there’s an excellent chance that you’re going to get punched. In the same way, whenever you write a story, there’s someone who figures you need a
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
A lot of people who want to become professional writers think that once you become a writer, you don’t have any problems. But any writer knows that we really do have our own set of problems. Becoming a full-time writer doesn’t solve all of your problems, you just trade up
A writer contacted me a couple of days ago to ask if I would read and critique a screenplay. In looking at his query letter, it was obvious to me for a host of reasons that making this particular movie would be a bad idea. No studio in Hollywood would
Are you waiting to be discovered? All of us writers are. Maybe you’re a new writer hoping for praise from a writing group. If so, you’re waiting to be discovered. Or maybe you’re a first-time novelist waiting to hear back from an agent, or an old pro like me hoping
New writers are often told, “Show, don’t tell.” Normally this piece of advice is given when a writer gives a vague description. He might say, “Rhonda looked tired.” A good reader will wonder about that. There are varying degrees of tiredness. Does the writer mean that the character had a
You may not know it, but you’re a racehorse. If you look at writers from a publisher’s point of view, that’s exactly what you are. You’re someone who writes glorious novels, and if you want to make a name for yourself, you’ll do it frequently—once a year or more. If
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. Many years ago, a writer asked Hemingway, “How many times should I rewrite a manuscript?” Now, Hemingway hated dumb questions,
The most productive writers, I’ve noticed, aren’t necessarily the ones with the most talent or the greatest skills. They may not be the most physically fit or even the most motivated. The most productive writers are the ones who get excited by their work. What do I mean by “getting
“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf You may not realize it, but as writers we are all on the same journey. We all start as “wannabes,” hoping to amaze audiences with our eloquence and powerful tales, and so we set out on
Recently I’ve had a number of my students ask, “What makes a story great?” For example, what sets apart a story that wins major awards from one that doesn’t? What makes one story monumental, a landmark in its field, while another story fades from memory? The answers are pretty simple
Instead of sending out my own writing tip today, I wanted to share a link to an article about the largest self-publishing survey and its results. The survey had 56-questions and 7,677 respondents. Half of respondents were aspiring authors and the other half are published authors. While not all of
In the writing profession, the term word has a special meaning that most new writers don’t understand. If you see the word I and the word anaphylactic on paper, they’re both words, right? Each is one word. But not if you’re a professional writer. Years ago, when typesetters were trying
Wait, before you go…
Be sure to get free access to David Farland’s course on how to brainstorm, pre-write and outline a bestselling novel!
