Show v Tell is the most ethereal craft concept to learn for new writers. Show v tell is so elusive that even a search on Amazon for books on the topic brings up very few results, and few of those results appear to be promising. Even Writer’s Digest only has one title available (Showing & … Read more
When you think about Scene Setting, you are usually describing a place. I say you in the plural sense in that you are the writer, the narrator, the POV character, the hero, the villain, everyone. So it is possible to get confused on which “you” you are at any given moment. Consequently, it might be … Read more
Why do you need to worry about Scene Setting? It is one of the most important elements in fiction writing. If your readers don’t know when and/or where the story takes place, they will become confused and put down your book. Given the short period of time that readers will browse through your book before … Read more
I was intending to write on Scene Setting this week but was distracted by a productivity question over the weekend. The question was something to the effect of, \”I can\’t seem to finish my draft. Can you help me?\” This is one of those questions that generate a bazillion How-to posts like you\’ve seen everywhere on the … Read more
I received an email last week from a writer who felt her pages were flat. This writer (and her critique group) felt that she didn’t seem to generate much depth of emotion for her readers. I asked for a few pages of her current work in progress and saw that this writer, who was working … Read more
Point of View I was at Colorado Gold Writer’s Conference last weekend, and I honestly do believe it is the best writer\’s conference in the United States. The workshops were spectacular, so much so that even NYT best-selling author Jeffery Deaver sat in workshops and took notes. It reminds me that there is always more … Read more
What is a scene? A scene is a sequence of continuous action that takes place at a specific location and time in your story. There will probably be multiple scenes per chapter though there are writers who write one scene and sequel per chapter. The structure will probably be determined by the genre you are … Read more
Typically, when writers think Character Arc they think of the main character’s inner transformation. In other words, the lead character starts with a specific point of view, but because of the need to change their beliefs in order to address the conflicts that arise, the main character is a different person by the end of … Read more
GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) is essential for character development and is a major component of all well-written books that readers love. But what is GMC? Goal = I want The Goal is what the character wants, or thinks he/she wants. The goal is so important to the character they can\’t let it go, even if the … Read more
There are thousands of character creation tools available in books and on the internet. If you need a worksheet or other tool to help you create your characters, just Google the topic. You will find bazillions of listings for how-to’s, spreadsheets, charts, videos, documents to print out and fill in, name generators, character wheels, and … Read more