With the possible exception of cookbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias, everything written has some sort of pace to it. From greeting cards to poems to speeches, each piece opens, gives a few high points and then comes to a conclusion. When done correctly, the reader takes no notice of pace. Getting a suspense novel to the …
Category: Author’s Craft
Jun 18
Mental images: zombies and coffee
Good, strong writing is found all in the presentation. Consider the images that come to your mind when you read the following sentence: She was a zombie in need of more K-Cups. So, what does that refer to? Right now, you may be floundering and drowning in a sea of possibilities. You need context to …
Jun 12
Fear
Human beings deal with fear every day, be it from external forces or internal pragmatisms. Usually hidden behind a fake smile or a cocky demeanor, it haunts our thoughts and bogs down decisions. Fear affects how we do things, see things, poisoning or strengthening us from the inside out. Think about this. What happens once …
May 23
Information Dumps
An information dump is exactly what it sounds like: a steaming plop of backstory. It includes facts about characters and events that are relevant to your storyline but predate the opening scene. Often times, these factoids are the very building blocks of your story, but to start with them at the beginning – which is …
May 18
Lights, Camera, Action: Verb!
I had one of those ah-ha!, slap-your-head-with-the-palm-of-your-hand-*duh* moments recently. This time, that moment was about writing. An article I read discussed ways to improve your writing. In your first draft, the most important thing is to get the words down in whatever perfect or jumbled form you can. The revision stage is where you get …