We all know that writers fall into one of two groups: the Plotters, who lay their entire story out methodically in advance, often using a formal outline; and the Pantsers, who fly by the seat of their pants, letting the story unfold as they write, perhaps with the aid of a few notes. Neither method is better than the other. It depends on the personality of the writer — some people are orderly and want to be in control. Others … Read More »

We all want our book to crackle with excitement, to race to the finish so breathlessly that the reader can’t put it down. But we still need enough emotional and physical description to make her care about the characters. Just as we’re always told to show rather than tell in our narration, we need a certain amount of showing and telling in a dialogue scene. Every author has a different balance, and that’s part of what makes up their style. … Read More »

What is more disappointing than reading a good book—maybe even a first-rate page-turner—and then having the ending fall flat? I recently had that unpleasant experience with a work of a quite renowned author. The result was that I was left with an unsatisfied taste in my mouth as my final memory of the book, which otherwise I would have recommended. Think of an Olympic gymnast: she may perform like an aerial pixie, but if she stumbles on the landing, her … Read More »

If you’re old enough, you’ll remember from your elementary school days (which used to be called grammar school, remember?) that the participle is a verb form used as an adjective. The past passive participle has almost lost its sense of verbiness and become a plain old adjective. (Are you wearing a shocked look at that statement?) Yet the active past participle too often gets buried under the vague imprecisions of our speech. In speech, it’s not so bad. But vague … Read More »

Writing is an essentially solitary task. We sit a table or a desk or with a laptop in our—well, lap—and we think hard. We’re silent. We relive past emotions. We imagine things in technicolor. We have imaginary friends. Nobody can do it for us. And yet I would like to suggest that one of the best New Year’s resolutions any writer can make is to become involved with a writers’ group. These loose associations of like-minded people offer two extremely … Read More »

A novel (with the possible exception of some experimental form) chronicles the unrolling of fictional events over time. But unlike the real world, where we have to live each instant as it comes, like it or not, the time within our story is not relentless clockwork. It’s rather more like an accordion: it expands and contracts as we, the author, need it to, the better to propel the plot and keep the reader engaged. Imagine if we had to read … Read More »