Category Archives: Resident Writing Coach
What “Read More to Improve Your Writing” Really Means
Everyone says you should read a lot if you want to improve your writing. A blanket statement if ever I heard one. Anyone can read. There are readers out there consuming 100, 200, and even more books a year. You … Continue reading
Joining Forces: Harnessing the Power of Coauthoring
I always knew coauthoring had benefits – half the workload, and twice the platform to launch from are the obvious bonuses. Sure, you have to split your royalties, but you also share the costs. But I had reservations (how do … Continue reading
How To Avoid A Half-Baked Idea
Half-baked ideas are everywhere in the spec pile. But what does ‘half-baked’ mean? After all, whether a script reader, agent’s assistant or intern LIKES the idea behind a story is another matter. Let’s look to the dictionary to agree on … Continue reading
Character Introductions: Making the Right Impression
Many aspects of writing can be hard to get right, especially in our first draft. For just two examples: With our story beginning, we might struggle to find a good balance between a throat-clearing boring scene (before getting to the … Continue reading
Reflections on Some Favorite Writing Quotes
Do you collect writer quotes? You should. They can be inspirational and instructive. It’s great to turn to them in times when you feel in the writing doldrums. Here are seven of my favorite writer quotes, and why I like … Continue reading
3 Ways to Differentiate Your Characters
We’ve invited Resident Writing Coach Sacha Black to give us an extra dose of wisdom as she’s just released a new book that I think will help a lot of writers: Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences. This … Continue reading
Might as Well Jump—into the Third Act
Have you ever been burned by your story? Often, authors get burned in the second act, and when it’s time to start the third act, the writing can feel like a relationship gone bad. By this point, it feels a bit … Continue reading
How Plotlines Add Dimension
When writing a novel, you need to use more than one plotline. In fact, most successful books need at least three. If they only have one or two, the story will feel flat, bloated, or repetitive, because the writer doesn’t … Continue reading
How to Juggle Writing and Parenting
While being a parent is one of the greatest joys in life, it comes with its own slew of challenges. As a mother of a toddler, I’ve had to find a way to balance taking care of my darling boy … Continue reading
What Is Emotional Context And Why Does Your Story Need It?
Have you ever had an editor or critique partner say “go deeper”? And you throw up your hands and glare at the screen because you DID go deeper. Deep point of view is a writing technique that aims to create … Continue reading