Years ago I joined the award-winning site, The Critique Circle, where I learned to hone my writing skills and develop the thick skin needed to take criticism and rejection. In addition to writing well beyond a thousand critiques, I became a moderator for the site, and with members in the thousands, … [Read more...] about The Ultimate Guide for Giving and Receiving Feedback
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How to Strengthen Our Story with Tropes
Every genre and medium of storytelling uses tropes—common themes or story devices. However, the frequency of certain storytelling ideas, such as “the chosen one,” makes them so common that readers get sick of them, and every type of trope can seem cliché or predictable. Yet tropes are so … [Read more...] about How to Strengthen Our Story with Tropes
Authors Are Assets, Not Competition
Most industries are competitive. Athletes go head-to-head for the medal or trophy. Car companies vie for market share as do grocery stores, restaurants, and delivery services. Reality TV show contestants duke it out for prize money, prestige, and in some cases (ugh) roses. And our favorite retail … [Read more...] about Authors Are Assets, Not Competition
The Missing Link in Three-Act Structure
In any discussion of story structure, the three-act model inevitably dominates the conversation. Even as plotting methods such as Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey, and the Snowflake Method gain popularity, the classic beginning-middle-end form reaching back to the dramatic theories of Aristotle … [Read more...] about The Missing Link in Three-Act Structure
Does Your Character’s Behavior Make Sense?
Have you been in a situation where someone acts erratically, and not in a good way? It takes you by surprise, doesn’t it? Imagine this scenario: you’re sitting around the lunch table with coworkers and pop out a joke. Instead of a wave of laughter, one of your tablemates begins to sob. Or they jump … [Read more...] about Does Your Character’s Behavior Make Sense?
How to Fix a Boring Main Character and Save Your Story
Are you struggling with a boring main character? Are you afraid that he or she is limiting your story’s potential? This happened to me with my most recent release, "The Curse of King Midas." Here's how I not only fixed the problem but created a character powerful enough to spawn a whole series of … [Read more...] about How to Fix a Boring Main Character and Save Your Story
What Characterization Detail Gives Your Protagonist More Depth?
Every writer wants to write a character who stands out, drives the story to interesting places, and captures the reader's heart. Why? Because characters with depth sell books. And of course, the key to creating someone who readers connect to comes down to knowing them inside and out, and … [Read more...] about What Characterization Detail Gives Your Protagonist More Depth?
Creating Suspense in any Genre
When we think about suspense in writing, we naturally leap to thrillers and mysteries, genres that are known for suspense and rely on it. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us are off the hook. Suspense is an essential element in any story. Whenever we create a feeling of anticipation (or dread) that … [Read more...] about Creating Suspense in any Genre
Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Hey, wonderfulwriterly people! It’s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need help with the beginning of your novel, today's the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback. The contest is now closed. We will notify the winner soon! One … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Use Your Story’s Takeaway (Theme) to Trim Extraneous Content
Writing an entire book is an immensely complex undertaking. Even if you’ve outlined meticulously, you'll need more ideas than you can possibly imagine to fill the pages of an entire book (50,000 to 100,000 words or beyond, depending on your genre). And what you’ve mapped out in detail in an outline … [Read more...] about Use Your Story’s Takeaway (Theme) to Trim Extraneous Content
Story Structure as a Fractal
Structure is critical to every story. And it's highly likely that if you are reading this article, you are familiar with the most basic shape of story structure. This one: Rising Action: A character starts with a goal, runs into an antagonist, and struggles through … [Read more...] about Story Structure as a Fractal
Using Your Setting to Characterize
In storytelling, our number one job is to make readers care. We want to ensure that our fiction captivates them on many levels and that our characters seem like living, breathing people who continue to exist in readers' minds long after the book closes.So how do we do this? Well, it may not seem … [Read more...] about Using Your Setting to Characterize