I think one of the mistakes some writers make is that they listen to too much advice. There is so much out there (and I’m only adding more), but I think all the advice is people just saying the same things in different ways, hoping that one of the methods Read more
Has anyone ever asked for your story’s premise? Essentially, they’re asking what your book’s about. Many people use premise as a synonym for logline, but I see them as separate tools. While they are similar, a premise and a logline have two very different purposes. Today, we’re going to explore Read more
We are back again for another entry in the Character Under A Microscope series where we dig into the small details of character development. Today, I want to talk about character tags. These are distinguishing details about characters that make them memorable. We will first look at why character tags Read more
Last week we discussed writing query letters, and now I want to turn our attention to submitting them. There are several strategies for how to query agents, but I’ve found one method seems to be favored about the rest. While you are welcome to submit letters one at a time Read more
A query letter is such a fickle thing. There is no perfect formula you can use to guarantee you get a literary agent’s attention, but there are best practices you can follow to give your manuscript the best chance. I’ve done a lot of research on how to write a Read more
After years of critiquing and editing manuscripts for writers, I’ve learned there is one major piece of advice I keep having to repeat. It’s quite simply: progress the plot. Push the plot forward. Keep the plot moving. I’ve said it multiple ways, but it all means the same thing. Today, Read more
No story is complete without interpersonal conflict between characters. Every person is different, and some people just don’t get along. Usually, those people just avoid each other, but good stories are full of conflict. So what do you do if you want to write about two characters who clash? You Read more
Writers often hear about plot arcs and character arcs, but there is one arc that often gets skipped over: relationship arcs. I’m not talking about romance books that are centered on a relationship. I’m referring to all the characters your protagonist journeys alongside throughout the story. Today, we are going Read more
A logline and a tag line are two different things, but they both serve to get people interested in your story. One talks about the story plot; the other reveals its tone. Yet both should hook a reader to want more. Let’s look into each of these lines and how Read more
I recently came across this idea of vagueness and ambiguity in stories through September C. Fawkes, and I was so impressed by it that I searched for more information on the topic. To my surprise, there was none. It’s not a topic most writers are discussing. So, I’m adding this Read more