One of the most common critiques that I’ve given to and received from other writers could be described in a single word: cut. Cut this backstory, cut that redundant phrase, cut the laundry-list description. For my part, I admit that I’m a discovery writer. Some of the prose that goes down onto the page will serve […]
Articles on Writing Craft
Welcome, author! Here you'll find articles on the craft of writing, including plotting, character development, world building, and establishing voice.
10 Things Writers Don’t Know About The Woods
It’s hard to put a number on how many books I’ve read that feature characters in the woods. Sometimes they’re fleeing, sometimes chasing, sometimes just looking for something to eat. As someone who spends a lot of time in the woods, I should tell you that most authors get it wrong. Here are ten realities […]
Q&A with a Mad Scientist: My Writing Process
Thank you to Caitlin Sinead Jennings for inviting me to be part of the #MyWritingProcess blog tour. She’s a regular contributor to Trouble the Write Way; her impressive writing process involves Trello and guideposts from Story Engineering. If you haven’t heard of #MyWritingProcess, it’s a sort of blog-posting chain letter in which authors all answer the same four questions about their writing. Here […]
Writing Lessons from the PitchMadness Readers
The first 250 words of a novel may determine its fate. For aspiring authors — especially those seeking representation — pitching contests are therefore incredibly valuable. In Brenda Drake’s #PitchMadness, for example, entrants submitted very minimal information: manuscript title, age category/genre, word count, 35-word pitch, and the first 250 words. There were over 500 entries in […]
How and Why to Write A Good Opening
It’s a simple fact that people are busy, and have shorter attention spans than ever. We have many things to thank for this: video games, television, and most of all, Twitter. Because books must compete with all of these other forms of entertainment, it’s no longer enough to write a novel that, overall, is good. […]
