The protagonist of the story creates the core of a story. You look through that character’s eyes to write. You watch as that character acts in the world. The way that character moves through the world and how it ends up is what we are watching. It is that which makes up the story that […]
Writing Side Characters Read More »
We have talked about how to start the book. We have talked about the different parts of the book. Some people will point to one of these two aspects as the most important part of a story. I do not know if I would go so far. I am not a person who tends to
Knowing How to End Read More »
I love dialogue. It is one of my favorite things to write. I am not sure of the entire reason behind that. I think part of it is because all fiction writing seems to direct itself toward dialogue, meaning that it is usually some sort of dialogue that creates the climax of the story. Another
A New Way to Look at Dialogue Read More »
Every story has three parts, and these three parts have been known to exist for thousands of yours. These three parts are beginning, a middle, and an end. Aristotle said that these were the three parts of a story, and I think that these three parts are the most basic sections we can break a
The Three Parts of a Story Read More »
Have you ever read a book that was written so well that made you cry? I mean one of those books that is written so well, you realize you’re a slob who is never going to make it in life, so you buy yourself three gallons of ice-cream, four bags of chips, and fourteen pounds
Describing things as They are Experienced Read More »
I have been writing for almost two decades. When it comes to beginnings and endings, I rarely can come up with something that works on the first try. This is especially the case for beginnings. When you open a book, you want to make the reader feel obligated to read the rest of the book.
Writing Your First Sentence Read More »
https://youtu.be/zBXgQgJNgmQ What is your favorite part of writing? One of my favorite parts is planning the book. I also like the first draft, but one of the areas I do not like as much is editing. Editing can be the worst, because by the time you get to editing, you have already written the entire
A Painless Approach to Editing Read More »
https://youtu.be/aAEoukjo_rI Mark Twain (AKA Samuel Clemens) famously wrote in a letter that he would have made the letter shorter, but he did not have the time. Mr. Twain understood that writing did not require every little detail of every little thing to be explained. He actually understood that good write was succinct. It does not
Write the Little Details Read More »
https://youtu.be/Xr3PeBqiXV8 When you write anything, you usually decide on how to write that thing based on how it feels in the world. What is the emotional connection? Does this thing I am writing contain movement? Do I need to describe it in a certain way because the way it expresses itself is temporal? Action is
A New Way to Look at Action Read More »
https://youtu.be/0EKkYzoLxek When I first started to write in school, I was taught that each sentence forms a complete thought. This is probably true. When linguists look at talking and writing, they probably say that a sentence is a thought. Even though this might be true, I think you need to shift your attitude about what
Each Paragraph is a Thought Read More »
