Writers Helping Writers^®

Posts by Lisa Poisso

Scene Mastery: Navigating Common Goal-Driven Scene Pitfalls

December 21, 2023

Scene Mastery: Navigating Common Goal-Driven Scene Pitfalls

December 21, 2023

Goal-driven scenes are akin to the classic joke setup, “A _____ and a _____ walk into a bar …” A _____ and a _____ walk into a bar. The scene…

Strategies for Smooth Scene Openings

September 5, 2023

Strategies for Smooth Scene Openings

September 5, 2023

If the opening line of a scene is the doorway to the party, what follows is the welcoming handshake and introductions that draw readers into the mix. Effective scene openings…

The Link Between Character Thought and Credibility

June 6, 2023

The Link Between Character Thought and Credibility

June 6, 2023

Readers come into a story eager to greet a new world, willing to temporarily suspend their belief in the way the world works to explore your vision of the alternatives.…

What’s the Difference Between an Editor and a Book Coach?

March 7, 2023

What’s the Difference Between an Editor and a Book Coach?

March 7, 2023

If you’re all about Mark Zuckerberg’s famous credo “move fast and break things,” you may feel confident diving from writing into self-revision and then editing. But if you like to…

3 Action-Reaction Misfires That Flatten Your Writing

December 6, 2022

3 Action-Reaction Misfires That Flatten Your Writing

December 6, 2022

Cause and effect. Stimulus and response. Action and reaction. Everything in a story depends on what the characters do about whatever the story pushes them up against. Stiff, disconnected, or…

Feedback and Editing: The Right Eyes at the Right Time

September 15, 2022

Feedback and Editing: The Right Eyes at the Right Time

September 15, 2022

Unless you wrote your book exclusively for your own satisfaction, once your creative vision is on the page, it’s time to zoom in on how the book works for readers.…

Build a Character’s Voice from the Inside Out

June 7, 2022

Build a Character’s Voice from the Inside Out

June 7, 2022

Vocabulary and the way a character speaks are the outer layer of character voice—the icing on the cake. Instead of trying to build character voice from the outside in, get…

Best Practices for Working with an Independent Editor

March 1, 2022

Best Practices for Working with an Independent Editor

March 1, 2022

Most writers have read the wide-eyed articles from newly-agented writers detailing the pressure of revising and returning edits on a tight schedule and working with an assigned editor. But what…

When Are You Ready for Professional Editing?

December 9, 2021

When Are You Ready for Professional Editing?

December 9, 2021

Many writers equate preparing for a professional edit with revision. We’ll cover a few revision tasks in this article, but revision is only half the battle. Preparing your manuscript is…