A while ago I wrote about the three aspects of an engaging character, and one of those was making the person proactive. You don’t have to be in the writing world long before someone gives you the advice: give your protagonist agency. Readers want someone who will actively do something Read more
One of the common mistakes I see new writers struggle with is recapping events in their stories. I’m not talking about recapping previous books in a series before starting the new novel (that’s a whole different topic). This is specifically summarizing events that happen off the page or that the Read more
One of the biggest struggles I see new writers (and sometimes experienced writers) have is using third person POV storytelling well. There are two POVs you can use in third person: Omniscient or Limited. The difference between the two is subtle yet very important to understand. If you do either Read more
As writers, we often have too many things pulling us in too many directions, and it’s easy to let some things slide to the back. One of those things often forgotten is reading, but it’s essential to improving as an author. If you never read, you can’t be a good Read more
Today, I want to keep it short and simple. As writers, we need to convey a lot with just text, and part of that struggle is finding ways to convey specificity instead of vagueness. Let’s look at three easy tips that will strengthen your writing and enhance your story. 1. Read more
Today I want to talk about a common convention writers use in their stories to build intrigue: unreliable narrators. These add a bit of mystery and often leave readers talking about the story long after it’s finished. But not every story with an unreliable narrator is a hit. Let’s take Read more
Let’s get back into the Character Under A Microscope series where I dig deep into character development. Today, I want to talk about walking. Walk is one of those bland verbs that can be replaced with something more descriptive. Everyone crosses space at some point, but how does each person Read more
I’m a huge supporter of continuous learning. Obviously, right? This is, after all, one of hundreds of articles I’ve written on the author business and writing craft. But what I’ve realized recently is that learning can also be a crutch. Just like how writers get stuck worldbuilding, researching, or organizing Read more
Whether you’re a panster who makes things up as you write or a plotter who has a story outline before writing, your first draft will not be perfect. Overwriters will have too much fluff in their stories, and underwriters will have holes that need more. That’s just part of the Read more
This week I’m going to keep my post short yet hopefully powerful. I want to discuss what keeps readers interested in a story. Is it the villain? The setting? The romance? When we boil everything down to the very basics, what keeps people reading? It’s a lot simpler than most Read more