Our first book was never written with the intent of becoming part of a series, but the characters had other ideas. They weren’t done telling their story, so (for my part) I had to figure out a way to keep it all straight going forward. Along the way, I’ve seen other writers experience the challenges of writing a series, so I’m sharing some ideas that worked for me and might help others along the way. Who Stays and Who Goes? … Read More »

Sales figures make it clear that memoirs are a huge genre today. But that’s not what I want to talk about by saying “using life as a foundation for art.” Poets already know this secret, so let me address myself to novelists. My topic is: don’t neglect to take the straw of your own life and spin it into fictional gold! What does that mean? Well, it can means incorporating in your novel things that have actually befallen you. They … Read More »

It’s finally time for the big face off and your reader is at the edge of their seat. Having the correct pacing in action scenes is essential. Otherwise your big moment will flop and the worst thing will happen: Your reader will be disappointed. Gasp! There are several tricks to making sure your pacing is on point in this critical moment. Here are my top five tricks: Factor One: Time Manipulation The scene itself is usually only a matter of … Read More »

There’s no getting around it. Every successful story has to have a low point – the place where it all goes wrong, and there’s little hope in sight. Is there any point in struggling on? Highly doubtful, probably not. It would be so much easier at this point to give up and let whatever is going to happen to your characters play itself out on the page. I give up! So your character says. So you might say. Low points … Read More »

A few weeks ago I attended a national writing conference and listened to a fascinating discussion about character and plot from the perspective of screenwriters. Structure is so important to screenwriters, probably more than it is to prose writers. But, in my opinion, it’s smart for all writers to connect with some of the methods screenwriters use to structure their stories. They see character and plot as one. A plot comes from everything that happens to a character, what he … Read More »

The saying goes, “Tell your readers everything they need to know and nothing they don’t need.” Simple enough: make it “juuust right,” like Baby Bear’s porridge. But how do you know how much is enough… or too much? I wish I could give an easy answer. If we take a look together at the possibilities, I bet you can come up with an answer on your own that fits your writing style. Too Hot! First, there’s the danger of too … Read More »