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A Question of When: Indicating Time Passage in Our Stories

June 13, 2017

A Question of When: Indicating Time Passage in Our Stories

June 13, 2017

Today, we’re looking at how to show the passing of time between scenes. First, let’s recap why it’s important for our readers to be at least vaguely aware of the…

Giving Your Characters Free Rein in the Story

June 6, 2017

Giving Your Characters Free Rein in the Story

June 6, 2017

In my collection of writing books is a 1919 title, A Manual of the Art of Fiction, by one Clayton Meeker Hamilton, a professor at Columbia University. It’s a bit…

Using Real-World Locations to Ground Your Story’s Setting

May 16, 2017

Using Real-World Locations to Ground Your Story’s Setting

May 16, 2017

Last month I went on a writing retreat in Iceland. (Yes, Iceland! In fact, you can learn more about the annual Iceland Writers Retreat here.) It sounds like a remote…

Complex Characters and the Power of Contradiction

May 9, 2017

Complex Characters and the Power of Contradiction

May 9, 2017

You’ve likely seen countless posts and resources related to creating great characters, but almost all of them seem to be lacking in one aspect I’ve found to be perhaps the…

Want to Grow as a Writer? Transform Your Critique Group

May 2, 2017

Want to Grow as a Writer? Transform Your Critique Group

May 2, 2017

My mentor Art Arthur, a successful Hollywood screenwriter for five decades, once told me, “There are four kinds of Hollywood producers: the ones that say, ‘Here’s what I don’t like…

Angela’s Fantastic Finds for Writers

April 27, 2017

Angela’s Fantastic Finds for Writers

April 27, 2017

People who follow me in social spaces know I curate A LOT of content–enough to supply 3 twitter accounts, 3 facebook pages, one personal FB profile and then of course,…

The Efficient Writer: Using Timelines to Organize Story Details

April 6, 2017

The Efficient Writer: Using Timelines to Organize Story Details

April 6, 2017

If you want to be an efficient writer, using timelines to organize your story details might just save your sanity. Because let’s be honest—by the time we sit down to…

Want to Write Romance? Layer Your Scenes for Success

April 4, 2017

Want to Write Romance? Layer Your Scenes for Success

April 4, 2017

When I began considering writing a romance novel, I asked some of my romance author friends about the layer of structure. I had no idea that romance novels, across the…

How to Rescue a Dying Book

March 21, 2017

How to Rescue a Dying Book

March 21, 2017

Some experts claim that as many as 82% of adults dream of writing a book. They have a story they are burning to tell or a message they are dying…

What Does It Mean To “Raise the Stakes”?

March 14, 2017

What Does It Mean To “Raise the Stakes”?

March 14, 2017

Last time I visited, we discussed how understanding the interconnectedness of our story elements can help us with revisions, and today we’re going to dig deeper into one of those…