Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
Comma, semicolon or colon, which one should I use?
Have I mixed past and present tense verbs in my story?
Do my subjects and verbs agree?
Do I have misplaced modifiers?
Aaahhh. English grammar can be infuriating and confusing. But a manuscript riddled with incorrect grammar is a sure-fire trip to File 13. What do you do to fix it? [Read more…] about 7 Ways to Overcome Trouble with Grammar
Precise verbs are important to every great book, be it fiction or non-fiction. In fact, where preciseness is concerned I can say that about nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and . . . Okay, all parts of speech.
During the draft process, you are focused on getting the ideas out of your head and into the computer. Don’t stop to struggle over a word choice during your draft. Hone in on your word choices when you start the revision.
Today, let’s take a look at 3 myths about choosing synonyms. [Read more…] about The Myth of Synonyms
So, your work in progress takes place in the 1800s … or maybe it’s a contemporary story, but one that is set in a region of the country you’re unfamiliar with. You know you’ve got a lot of research to do to make your story accurate and credible, but where do you begin? [Read more…] about 16+ Free Online Resources for Doing Research for your Novel
Another year is drawing closed. Seems like only yesterday that I realized my dream of becoming a writer, yet it’s been over 12 years since the dream became reality.
In 2002 Focus on the Family hired me as a junior copywriter. And even though I was now working as a writer, I struggled to think of myself as one. I didn’t have a degree in journalism or English. I didn’t have any articles published in magazines, nor did I have a published book.
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t a writer. Long before becoming a copywriter, I was writing novels in my spare time. After putting my son to bed I’d sit down at the computer with a cup of coffee (and no it wasn’t decaf) and write for hours. Often until one in the morning.
I wasn’t just writing for fun or relaxation—those were side benefits. I wrote with the intention of [Read more…] about Is Your Dream Still Unrealized?
As discussed in “6 Steps to Story Development,” a story needs conflict. In fact, without it you have no story. So let’s take a closer look and see how you can make sure you’re developing the conflict in your story.
James Scott Bell, in his book Conflict & Suspense, defines conflict this way: “a clash between at least two incompatible sides. One of those sides must be personal, that is, having the ability to exercise conscious will.”
At the heart of conflict are your character’s passion and goals. In review, here are 3 questions I posited in “Story Development”: [Read more…] about How to Review Your Story Scenes for Conflict
When you get right down to it the major goal of the fiction writer is to keep the reader reading.
And like the performer who spins plates at the top of a stick, writers must spin several plates too—characters and character arc, plot and plot development, conflict, dialog, show vs. tell, and pacing. If we focus on only one aspect of story development and neglect the others, the story falls flat.
But that’s a lot to deal with. I certainly can’t get my brain wrapped around all those things at the same time as I write.
So what’s the answer?
Focus on one at a time, using these 6 steps. [Read more…] about 6 Steps to Story Development
I’m blogging over at the Palmetto Christian Writers Network today. Come join me for 5 Steps to Capture and Keep the Editor’s Interest.
The first thing we as writers must accomplish with our story is to hook our reader. But if we merely hook them, the reader can get away. So we must also then compel them to read on to the middle and then right through to the end of our story.
We spur our reader to the middle of our story by creating a compelling lead character with whom our readers bond. Next, [Read more…] about What do football and fiction have in common?