In every story, there is a section before the climax when your protagonist sinks to her lowest and is an emotional wreck. It’s your job to get the character out of her depression and ready to face the big event in the climax. Today, I want to discuss how to Read more…
It’s time for another Character Under a Microscope post where we look at character development on a deep level. Today, I want to talk about your characters and compassion. You may have heard of the phrases “pet the dog” or “save the cat.” These terms refer to a moment early Read more…
I love to read across genres, and lately I’ve been asking myself what all these books have in common that grabs my interest. It’s not just that they are “good books” as there are several of those out there I don’t enjoy. I’d say they all have intriguing plots and Read more…
Writers have many options for ways to get their words seen by the world. They can write novels, short stories, novellas, articles, etc. One of those outlets is serial fiction. While some newspapers and magazines still publish serials, most serial fiction is published online. Let’s look at serials and how Read more…
Today I want to talk about promises and payoffs in a story. I’ve talked around these concepts a few times, but I realized I haven’t actually dug into them by themselves. So, we’re going to discuss what promises and payoffs are, the main types, and how to use them effectively Read more…
I did a post a while back on the truth about writer’s block, the mental block when writers don’t know what to write. Recently, I was talking with some writers about being stuck and not writing, even though they had outlines ready. The problem wasn’t that they didn’t have ideas, Read more…
Some terms I got mixed up when I first started studying writing were the phrases plot reveal and plot twist. They both mean new information is given, and they generally shock or awe the audience. But what exactly is a reveal or a twist, and how do writers pull them Read more…
It’s time for another post in my Character Under a Microscope series where I discuss the nitty gritty details of character development. Today, I want to focus in on something that everyone experiences—stress! In a good story, your characters are going to face trials, and that will undoubtedly lead to Read more…
Throughout the last few years, I kept hearing the about Deep Point of View, otherwise called Immersive POV. This has nothing to do with first, second, or third person pronouns in your narration. It’s the idea that you write so readers feel like they experience the world as if the Read more…
A while back I wrote a post on the two functions of scenes: action and reaction. Since writing that post, I found the origin on this concept called Scene-Sequel. It was developed by Dwight V. Swain in his book Techniques of the Selling Writer. Today I want to elaborate on Read more…