Every story is about overcoming obstacles in your protagonist’s way to her goal. There should be numerous obstacles to face throughout the book, and you’ll need various types to make it seem more realistic. If the only issue the protagonist has is her love life, then the story will grow Read more
The last character detail I’m going to cover this round for Character Under A Microscope is manipulation. That’s right, I just went there. Every person, regardless of how good he is, manipulates other people to get what he wants. It’s part of being alive. Even animals do it. Why does Read more
This week, let’s take a deeper look at character motivations. What makes the characters act like they do? Writers are often told to give characters goals, but along with those goals come motivations. Why do they want those goals? The reasons characters act the way they do will not only Read more
I want to start a new ongoing series on my website called Character Under A Microscope. There are so many things you can consider when creating characters that I think it needs an in-depth study. I don’t want to burn my readers out on all things character though so I’m Read more
Aristotle coined the word catharsis, which is defined as purging of powerful negative emotions through dramatic art. It occurs when someone empathizes with characters. When those characters overcome their negative emotions, the reader overcomes those emotions with the characters, but it also tricks the person’s body into purging any pent-up Read more
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 ways to weave them into their plots for maximum effect. 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 I knew. A little digging gave me answers, and I 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 are like me, you don’t have a good answer. 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 improve its presentation. This round is all about making the 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 than the overall story. Definition Content editing, also called developmental Read more