By Laura Drake Source: Romance University Though I’ve never had a beginning writer ask me specifically about this subject, I think ALL questions lead back to this one: How do I make readers fall in love with my characters? To me, this is simple, but not easy. Because it requires subtlety. It’s in the details . […]
By Laura Tong Source: Write to Done Editor Note: By popular demand we’ve updated and expanded one of Mary’s most popular posts from the WritetoDone archives so today’s readers can benefit from these wonderful tips. Do you wonder how to be a writer? The 201 tips below will help you find out how to be […]
By Kristen Ford Source: Write to Done A note from the editor: Ever wanted to double your productivity as a writer? Most writers are familiar with various software designed to help us be more productive in one way or another. Obviously, Scrivener comes to mind. However, as a writer a ‘one solution fits all’ approach is […]
By Sophie Novak Source: The Write Practice What’s the most important element in a piece of writing? Is it the plot, the characters, descriptions, dialogue, or the style? Obviously, you can’t single out only one. A powerful work succeeds in combining all of them in a unique mix producing a master creation. Having said that, […]
By John Tuttle Source: Writing Cooperative Many writers find characters to be the hardest aspect of a story to create. After all, they are the actors. They are the ones carrying out the main points of the plot. Their job is to make a story run like clockwork. So if you do not have authentic […]
Source: Novel Writing Help Why is descriptive writing so important in a novel? Because unlike movies, novels are not visual. When you watch a film, all of the “description” is done for you by a camera and a microphone. All writers have are words. So you need to use those words to help the reader […]
By Matt Herron Source: The Write Practice Plot and structure are like gravity. You can work with them or you can fight against them, but either way they’re as real as a the keyboard at your fingertips. Getting a solid grasp on the foundations of plot and structure, and learning to work in harmony with […]
Source: Writers Helping Writers At a Bouchercon some years ago, Lee Child was part of a panel on characters in thrillers. An audience member asked him a question about character change. “Every character has to have an arc, right?” “Why?” Child said. “There doesn’t have to be character change. We don’t need no stinkin’ arcs.” […]
By Becca Puglisi Source: Writers Helping Writers Backstory is one of the trickier elements of writing. We have to take our readers back in time to let them know some of the past, but how do we do it without interrupting the flow of the story? Jerry Jenkins is here today to discuss one of […]
By Mohammad Shamsuzzaman Source: The Daily Star Does a piece of writing have a sex? Not really! It perhaps has a gender, which in French is genre. When it comes to distinguishing one category of writing from another, however, genre seems to demarcate it absolutely and permanently as if writing had a sex. That’s a little […]