You’re getting better at writing scenes. You’ve learned to include brief bits of action that come before, between, or right after dialogue. Called “beats,” these actions can serve as speaker attribution so that tags such as “said” are not necessary. But they also have purposes beyond the merely mechanical. While I would never suggest you get stuck on finessing beats in your early drafts, I encourage you to focus on them during revision. The way you handle beats can enliven … Read More »

Details breathe life into a story. The senses are awakened and heightened, transporting the reader into the world created by the writer. But there’s another, powerful purpose to small details that brings an added dimension to a story. Don’t Overdo If you choose to give an enhanced role to a small detail, choose wisely and don’t go overboard with the number of details you emphasize; it will overwhelm and frustrate your readers. Enhance one or two, and let the rest … Read More »

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 »

I don’t know about you, but with all this social distancing I’m finding it difficult to get close to some of my writing. A little trick I sometimes have to play on myself these days is to simply concentrate on just one literary technique at a time. Just one, so I don’t get overwhelmed whether I’m revising or writing something new. And one of my favorite literary devices to play with is personification. Personification is a power-wielding giant, because it … Read More »

When you write a series, you hope your readers will start the journey as you did — with the first book. That may not always be the case. Readers may pick up a book midway through the series or find one out of sequence that grabs their attention. As a writer, it’s your challenge to ensure that any book in a series is a satisfying, engaging experience. Stand Alone This may seem contradictory to the concept of a series, but … 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 »