It’s my personal opinion that getting the words down on paper is the easy part, because at that point, the details don’t matter. Just throw a bunch of words down and take care of the specifics in the revision stage. That's when it gets really tricky, because you’ve got to figure out which details to … [Read more...] about Choosing the Right Details
Search Results for: conflict in every scene
Writing By Design: Using Color Theory
Writing by design means using techniques from the visual arts to inspire and inform your writing. So far in this series you’ve learned how to use the constraints of space to give your story a shape. You’ve also discovered how to use the psychology of expectation to create—and artfully … [Read more...] about Writing By Design: Using Color Theory
Three Ways The Setting Can Steer Your Story’s Plot
The setting is a powerful force. Not only does it evoke mood, create tension and conflict, allow you to share critical backstory in a non-dumpy way, and draw readers deeper into the story through powerful sensory detail…it can also steer your plot. If you're a pantser who likes to go where the wind … [Read more...] about Three Ways The Setting Can Steer Your Story’s Plot
What Does Your Protagonist Want BEFORE the Story Starts?
Imagine getting up in the morning and not wanting anything (not even coffee). No, seriously, try. Imagine having no agenda. Sure, that may sound great for a bit – especially given that crazy-busy seems to be the new normal. But I’m not talking about taking a much-needed break. Because even when … [Read more...] about What Does Your Protagonist Want BEFORE the Story Starts?
Best of the Best: Free Resources to Power Up Your Writing
It doesn't take many visits to see that providing writers with what they need to succeed is pretty serious business around here. And because the 'ol pocketbook can be a bit flat this time of year, we wanted to shine a light on some of the great FREE knowledge-building resources we know about. Story … [Read more...] about Best of the Best: Free Resources to Power Up Your Writing
Episodic vs. Epic: Go Bigger with Your Writing
One of the most common reasons given by authors for why they write is a desire to create something meaningful for their readers, something that will stick with them or make a difference. One thing that helps our stories feel meaningful is avoiding episodic writing. What Is Episodic Writing? To … [Read more...] about Episodic vs. Epic: Go Bigger with Your Writing
How to Tell If Your Story Needs a Resolution
One of the last things you’ll consider for a story is whether to write a resolution. This short sequence of scenes (or a single scene) after the climax can conclude secondary storylines, offer a glimpse into the protagonist’s new life, or pull a last-minute twist that changes everything. But in … [Read more...] about How to Tell If Your Story Needs a Resolution
10 Methods to Make Your Character Likeable
A key point of writing a successful story is to have likeable characters. This is usually a must for the protagonist, but the cast overall should have a number of likeable characters. Here are 10 methods to accomplish that. 1) Pet the Dog/Save the Cat This method might be the most well-known. … [Read more...] about 10 Methods to Make Your Character Likeable
Good Endings: What Should Yours Include?
What’s the right ending for your novel? This isn't a simple question to answer, because there are many factors to consider. But the first thing you want to think about is the story’s genre. Let’s take a simple example. Suppose your story centres around a startling event like a murder. Should the … [Read more...] about Good Endings: What Should Yours Include?
Introducing…the Occupation Thesaurus!
Let’s say you’re at a party, and you meet someone new. The small talk begins. If you want to learn more about them, what’s one of the first things you ask? "So, what do you do?" Asking this question can accelerate the getting-to-know-you process because the answer often tells you something about … [Read more...] about Introducing…the Occupation Thesaurus!
Why Characters Need Choices in Fiction
Help me welcome one of our favorite people, Janice Hardy (@Janice_Hardy). She has a great post on the importance of providing characters with stake-heavy choices, so please read on. :) Choices drive every single conflict in a novel. The protagonist wants something (the goal), something is … [Read more...] about Why Characters Need Choices in Fiction
How to Keep a Short Story Short
Part of constraining a short story to its simplest form is to observe the convention of its length. Edgar Allen Poe said it should aim for a single effect on the reader and should be of a length that could be read in a single sitting. Some readers, however, are willing to sit longer than … [Read more...] about How to Keep a Short Story Short