I want to address three emotions that often get intermixed and, therefore, confused in writing. Surprise, tension, and suspense are all beneficial to a thrilling plot line. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, and, by understanding these, writers can find Read more
Have you ever heard someone talk about purple prose? When I first started branching out to learn more about writing outside of a hobby, I was flummoxed by the term. It seemed to have a negative connotation, but that’s all Read more
“Gustavo,” Javier yelled, scanning the woods. “Where are you?” His younger brother had insisted on playing hide and seek this time, and, of course, Gustavo’s coat was forest green. Perfect for hiding. “Are you lost?” a brittle voice asked. Javier Read more
As I’m getting ready to finish my manuscript and send it out into the world, I’m gathering all the information I need for querying agents. One of the most popular questions agents ask is: Who is your audience? If you Read more
Line editing is the last layer of edits an author should do before handing off their manuscript to an editor. You should do these edits when you think your story is the best it can be and are ready to Read more
Last week I shared my process on rewrites, and this week I want to move on to content edits. These are still major edits, but they can be addressed on a chapter-by-chapter basis since they deal more with scene edits Read more
I’ve been wading through editing for a while now, and I’ve developed three types of edit rounds I do for my books. These don’t include any edits that come from editors but are what I do myself before showing my Read more
Let’s talk about defining your writing. I don’t mean genre, style, voice, or any of those other craft-imposed definitions. This post is about what you want to be known for in your writing. What will readers say about your stories? Read more
People say setting, character, and plot are the three main aspects of stories, but I want to point out the ugly stepsister in the corner. Exposition. It gets a bad reputation in the writing world, and that’s because most don’t Read more
The basic triad of writing a tale is setting, character, and plot. Without all of these you cannot write a complete story. The point is to transport readers to another world and make them fall in love with it. Each Read more