Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
If readers aren’t engaged by your story, maybe you’re holding them at a distance, using filtering phrases that keep them a step away from the action and emotion of a scene. Check out these common filtering phrases that keep readers at a distance.
Tags: readers, word choice, writing styles Posted in: Craft & Style
The major characters in your fiction need goals to see them through the story you’ve dropped them into. Make sure you’ve given them goals sufficient for the adventure.
Tags: basics, character, goal Posted in: Craft & Style
Writers often become so lost in their stories that they can’t look at them dispassionately. Remember to step back and away from your fiction so you can get a true picture of a story.
Tags: rewrite, writing advice Posted in: Beginning Writers, Writing Tips
Ever thought about writing a book series? A reader asks for tips about writing a series.
Tags: series Posted in: A Reader Asks..., How to
Are your characters and plot so predictable that even you are bored? Add surprises to make stories fresh and characters engaging.
Tags: character, writing advice Posted in: Craft & Style, Writing Tips
Chapter endings have at least two purposes—to look back at what’s already happened and look forward to what might happen. Both characters and readers benefit from the dual purposes of chapter endings.
Tags: endings, manuscript, story format Posted in: Craft & Style
Writers can’t write novels of any length, not if they want to be published traditionally. Word count is important, especially for the first-time novelist.
Tags: manuscript, story format Posted in: Definitions, Recommendations, Writing Tips
Not everyone will like what you write and how you write it. An encouragement when the voice of detractors seems louder than the voice of your fans.
Tags: encouragement Posted in: A Writer's Life
Backstory can bring depth to characters and their motivations. It can reveal reasons for the status quo at a story’s opening. But it could overwhelm current story events, if you don’t keep it in its place.
Tags: backstory, info dump Posted in: Craft & Style, Definitions
You’re ready for submission, but is your manuscript? Take one final pass through your story using these tips to help with last-minute cleanup.
Tags: manuscript, polishing Posted in: Editing Tips