Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
Simile and metaphor can enhance fiction but they can also overwhelm. Some tips for using simile and metaphor in story.
Continue reading Making Comparisons—Simile and Metaphor in Fiction »
There’s more to story than mechanics and plot and characters. What impression does your story make? How does it hit you? And have you conveyed that impression to readers?
Continue reading Experiencing Story From the Inside—Feel Your Stories »
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.
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.
Are your characters and plot so predictable that even you are bored? Add surprises to make stories fresh and characters engaging.
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.
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.
Continue reading When To Bring Backstory Out of the Shadows »
Some writers have been discouraged from including faith, religion, and beliefs in their fiction. But every subject is open for exploration by writers. And religion can introduce emotion and other elements in a way that other story elements can’t.
Speech and thought patterns should differ from character to character. Learn tips for differentiating character voices.
Who says you can’t use incomplete sentences in fiction? If you were taught that “rule” in school, take your liberty and write in sentence fragments if you want to. Keep in mind, however, than not all incomplete sentences work.
The reader will focus on what stands out. Turn the reader's attention where you want it to go.
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Copyright © 2010-2018 E. A. Hill Visit Beth at A Novel Edit
Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
