Have you ever read a book and found a glaring factual blunder? They happen. In Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, a character refers to Punch-and-Judy shows. The Punch-and-Judy puppet shows began in the century after the setting of the story. This kind of blunder is an anachronism, a thing out of its time. How do we avoid factual flubs? Research! Yes, great editors help, but ultimately the responsibility for getting the facts straight falls on the author. Discover … Read More »

Picture books are quick reads, fun, and often gems of characterization, mood, sensual detail, and dialogue. They are also perfect for learning the basics of storytelling—regardless of the writer’s age, or genre. One thing well-written picture books do is to organize what’s happening in a coherent way—and they do this quickly. Usually within 32 pages and less than 1,000 words. There are a variety of story-mapping, or outlining, techniques that can be used in pre-writing. All of these are helpful. … Read More »

Antagonists are such a pain. Why should a writer bother with one, or more? All they do is cause trouble! Exactly! A story needs to have opposing forces, conflict, and struggle. Otherwise, it won’t be a story worth writing–or reading. Creating your protagonist (main character) and sending him on his merry way might be the easy part. Pitting someone or something against him (the antagonist) is another matter. Now that you know you need one, let’s explore some options. And … Read More »

Much of my writing is about Florida’s natural world – its waters, birds, trees, even clouds. When my first book, The Young Naturalist’s Guide to Florida, was accepted, the editor sent every chapter to a different expert in that subject, and on one expert’s advice, the editor asked me to rewrite a short paragraph.  She read it to me over the phone. I thought a moment and changed the wording to incorporate the correction, to which the editor replied, “That’s … Read More »

When characters say exactly what they mean, such as when a character testifies at a trial or answers questions from police during an investigation, there is no subtext. Children, drunks, and those under the influence of sodium pentothal say exactly what’s on their minds without filter or forethought. If characters only say exactly what they mean in every scene, then the dialogue is flat, or on-the-nose. It can be boring and artificial because such directness and honesty ignores human complexity. … Read More »

If you want to start a column or have been invited to do so, realize what you’ve taken on. You may envision tossing off at pizza fests or cocktail parties, eyes modestly lowered, “Oh, I’m a regular columnist for Extreme Quilting.” But … A quality column takes consistent effort, thought, and rewriting. Here are seven important considerations from my own column-writing and the advice of several column writers I interviewed. 1. Produce on Schedule The editor counts on you to … Read More »