In my last post, I discussed through lines for nonfiction. Today, I’ll attempt to cover through lines for fiction. Allow me to repeat part of the last post: How many of you remember McDonald’s “special sauce” advertising for the Big Mac? I was around when they first used it in 1974. (After all these years,…
How many of you remember McDonald’s “special sauce” advertising for the Big Mac? I was around when they first used it in 1974. (After all these years, I wonder if the recipe is still the same. I’m not promoting McDonald’s.) So what’s special sauce got to do with writing? It’s my way of creating an…
Today, I’m turning to grammar—a topic we all love 😁. But why rehash an old subject when I’ve already written plenty about it. Below you’ll find various posts you have probably missed if you’re somewhat new to my blog, or if you’ve never searched the archive. I’ve categorized them to make it easier for you.
Updated November 4, 2024. Knowing your target audience or ideal reader—today’s term is avatar—is important in many ways. As the term implies, you are aiming at a target, so knowing as much as you can about it will enable you to hit the bull’s-eye. Often the message you hope to convey through your fiction or…
What are anachronisms? Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online Dictionary defines anachronism as: “a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the present.” Anachronisms tend to occur primarily in historical fiction. It happens for various reasons, one of which is the writer failed to…
In writing book 3 of my Her Inheritance trilogy, I learned how NOT to write a book…at least for me. Hat’s off to pantsers because I think my recent experience comes pretty close to writing by the seat of my pants. How NOT to Write a Book
Outlining a novel is quite different from nonfiction. And maybe you’ve heard the terms plotter and pantser. A plotter is one who outlines. A pantser is someone who writes by the seat of their pants—without an outline. I think most writers (fiction and nonfiction) tend to do a bit of both. I fall into that…
When I hear the word outline, I’m back in grade school laboring throughI.A.B.II.III. Is that what comes to mind for you when someone starts talking outlines. But that’s not what you need to do! Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Online Dictionary gives these definitions of outline: “the principal features or general principles of a subject of discussion; a…