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 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 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 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 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 Read more…
When writing a story, the protagonist has to have a goal. There needs to be something specific the character is working towards so he has a sense of agency. What you often don’t hear, though, is that your protagonist needs Read more…
When talking with agents, editors, and even other writers, you often hear the question: What are your comps? Comparison (comp) titles are books that are similar to your manuscript. These comps help the other person quickly identify the type of Read more…
Has anyone ever told you that your story is falling flat and you need to raise the stakes? What they mean is you need more escalation in your plot, but not in the way most would think. Last week we Read more…
A story is a character trying to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal, but the reader won’t care unless there are significant stakes involved. Something has to be at risk in order for the story to have an impact. It Read more…
Today is another entry in the Character Under A Microscope series where I dig deeper into character development to help you make your characters realistic. This time we will examine why your characters talk. Seems simple, right? They talk to Read more…