“Are you a planner or a pantser?” This is a frequently asked question in the writing world. On the surface, it’s a simple matter of inquiring whether you create a detailed plan before you write or you throw caution to the muse and fly by the seat of your pants. Naturally, once the process is proclaimed, the writer develops a need to defend it with unwavering loyalty. The level of passion and conviction generated can often rival other critical life … Read More »

Characters should be relatable, we all know that. But do they have to be likeable? I once had a reader comment of one of my protagonists, “That was the most disagreeable character since The Great Gatsby.” My first reaction was “Wow! Me and Scott Fitzgerald in the same sentence!” But then I realized I didn’t come off too well in the comparison. However, there’s food for thought in that reader’s remark, because The Great Gatsby is a highly successful novel, … Read More »

We have three forms of dialogue markers to let the reader know which character is speaking: speech tags, action tags, and thought tags. While writers tend to rely heavily on speech tags, the other forms offer variety to the reader and another way to create depth in the story. Speech Tags For 99 percent of the time, the word “said” is the best choice for a speech tag because it registers with the reader but does not distract the reader … Read More »

Have you ever given a talk or presentation of any kind to a group of people? If you know your subject well, you probably present your topic in a conversational way, as though you were telling it to your family. A bit of enthusiasm, a bit of humor if appropriate, maybe a truncated sentence or two, or maybe one beginning with “And now … “ or “Okay, folks …” If you’re a fiction writer, the people in your story might … Read More »

There are sentences, lyrics, or lines of poetry that stay in the mind. How does that happen? Why do we remember lines such as: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Lord Acton) “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” (Charles Dickens) “I am Sam, Sam I am.” (Dr. Seuss) “The name’s Bond. James Bond.” (Ian Fleming) “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I … Read More »

“Hey! I’m working here!” How many times have you yelled that at someone, or wanted to, when they were making noise or had the gall to talk to you while you were writing? But to be fair, how were they supposed to know you were deep in a complex passage of the next great American novel and not browsing social media? (Or were you? Never mind.) The more important questions are: What are you writing? Who are you writing it … Read More »