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 was really hard to find concrete information on what stakes 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 communicate with others. While communication is the overarching goal of Read more…
Today I want to discuss writing a synopsis for literary agents and editors. A synopsis is a summary of the story’s plot, like an outline but more concise and in paragraph form instead of bullet points. This will probably be harder for you than writing your book. I know it Read more…
Last week we talked about interiority and its subconscious aspects you can use to ground your readers in your character’s viewpoint. Today, I want to move on to the conscious side of character interiority. This is the part that shows how characters actively think and respond to the world around Read more…
Last year, I did a post on interiority and how it gives readers access to the POV character’s thoughts and feelings throughout a story. If you missed that lesson or need a refresher, you can read my post on interiority before we dig deeper into the topic today. I found Read more…
One of the more subtle parts of storytelling is knowing what to say and when. In books, we use text to convey our message, but that text is made of context and subtext. Both are important for conveying meaning, but they serve very different purposes so you can’t use either Read more…
I’m embarking on the journey of traditional publishing, and the first step, after having a polished manuscript, is deciding whether or not you want an agent. Unless you’re only submitting to small presses that accept manuscripts directly from authors, I’d suggest getting an agent. And so, I am starting my Read more…
Back when I first started these writing tips, I did a post on five mistakes new writers make. I meant to add more posts on other common mistakes, but I never got around to it. So, this week, I want to point out five more mistakes I often seen when Read more…
I recently opened a side business for developmental editing since I love dissecting stories and finding ways to make them stronger. Many authors have supplemental income because writing books is not always a lucrative business. While I think that is smart, that isn’t why I opened my editing business. I’ve Read more…
In the past, I’ve gone over the two functions of scenes and the three secrets of scenes, but today I want to talk about a scene’s cycle. A scene is the basic unit of story. By putting together multiple scenes, you create your book. However, you also have to make Read more…