Info dumps happen when a large amount of information is given all at once in a story. Typically, these dumps are about worldbuilding or character backstory. As the writers, we know all these fun details about our characters and setting, and we want to share them with the world. However, Read more
Every story should have some tension in each scene, though the level of tension will vary. Major turning points in the plot, like the midpoint or climax, will be higher while the connecting scenes might just have a low level of tension. But beyond just putting your characters in danger, Read more
I’m not going to lie to you; I’ve never launched a book…yet. I considered waiting to discuss this topic until I had, but then I realized it didn’t matter. No one strategy for launching a book will work for everyone. Even if my first book launch is tremendously successful, there Read more
As writers, we hear the phrase “Show, don’t tell” quite a bit. Like most things, there is more than one layer to this advice. A while back, I gave some advice on deep point of view, and in that post I did a section called Don’t Tell where I covered Read more
Lately, I’ve been thinking about marketing and what my books have to offer the world. I wrote a post a while back on defining your audience, but today I’d like to focus on what makes people want to buy books. Then I’ll go into some things you can identify in Read more
It’s time for another Character Under A Microscope post where I dig deep into character development. While most people pick up a story for the plot, they stay for the characters. Therefore, you want to make them as realistic and interesting as possible. Today, I want to discuss character mannerisms Read more
Have you ever read a story and felt cheated by the end? Perhaps there was some tense situation, but it turned out to be nothing. Or maybe the protagonist’s lover died but then in the end you’re told the two faked the death so they could run away together. Most Read more
Today, I want to talk about just one part of speech: adjectives. Unlike adverbs, these descriptors are more accepted in literature. However, some adjectives are better than others. Let’s get into three types of adjectives and how they should (or shouldn’t) be used in stories. First, we’ll talk about empty Read more
I’ve discussed pacing before, on a sentence-level and then scene-level, and now I’d like to look at it on a book-level. Whether you are planning to write a book or going back to one that’s already written, you’ll need to consider pacing so readers stay engaged. Too slow of pacing Read more
A while back I was asked a question about character backstory, and it’s stuck with me. I’ve done a post on initial characterization, but I want to zoom in and focus specifically on backstory today. It’s a crucial part of developing a story, but it’s also often misused. Let’s talk Read more