You know how everyone’s always telling you “Show, Don’t Tell”? Well, that means “Write Scenes, Not Exposition.” So we’re spending three weeks covering the three aspects of scenes: description, action, dialog. Last week we did description. Next week we’ll do dialog. And this week we’re doing action. Action is important… Read more“3 Reasons Action is Important, 3 Reasons It’s Not”
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3 Reasons Description is Important, 3 Reasons It’s Not
This topic came from @__Deb, and it’s such a good topic that I’m going to extrapolate from it for two more weeks, covering all three aspects of scene: description, action, dialog. “Show, Don’t Tell.” Write scenes, not exposition. Description is important because: Details create the life on the page If… Read more“3 Reasons Description is Important, 3 Reasons It’s Not”
7 Reasons Fiction Needs a Washing Machine
Now, we’ve gotten ourselves into the dark side of fiction—in which we’ve learned who will fail as writers (not us!), how we screw up our manuscripts, and the things we writers always overlook—so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. I mean, the real dirt on writing. I remember the day… Read more“7 Reasons Fiction Needs a Washing Machine”
8 Lessons to Learn from Screwing Up Your Manuscript
Luckily for us, even the dark side of writing (even the really dark side) has its light side. How many times have you screwed up your writing? Once? Twice? A hundred times? A thousand times? Counting all the times you’re screwing up this very instant and the times you intend… Read more“8 Lessons to Learn from Screwing Up Your Manuscript”
5 Things a Writer Always Overlooks
So now that we’ve taken a good look at the 6 personality types who will fail as writers, let’s turn and face our demons. You know how you work so hard to get that first draft down on the page? How you sacrifice comfort, companionship and casual entertainment, family time,… Read more“5 Things a Writer Always Overlooks”
14 Ways to Love What Your Manuscript Loves
That’s what love is: learning to love what your lover loves.—Greg Brown, husband of Iris DeMent Mama taught me to tell my truth.—Iris DeMent, wife of Greg Brown Your manuscript owns you. This might not seem obvious at first, but it is a fact that every writer (eventually) comes to… Read more“14 Ways to Love What Your Manuscript Loves”
6 Reasons Why Writing Is Coming Home
Sometimes we travel for my husband’s work, and although we all enjoy the thrill of the open road and the excitement of escaping housework and chores and the incessant arguments over who gets the comfortable armchairs, us or the cats, still— It’s always good to get home. What is it… Read more“6 Reasons Why Writing Is Coming Home”
5 Advantages of Re-Reading
I have probably over 2,500 books in my house. Something around 1,500 of them are on the shelves my husband built for me in my office. And most of those books I’ve read—many of them multiple times. I really, really, really love reading. Here’s how to get the most out… Read more“5 Advantages of Re-Reading”
5 Pickles to Write Yourself Into
This week I’m going to send you all over to one of my all-time favorite posts (and one of my most popular, as a matter of fact), in which I explain in meticulous and even excruciating detail exactly how to go wrong in this writing life: 5 Pickles to Write… Read more“5 Pickles to Write Yourself Into”
7 Surprising Things About Blogging
So, I’ve been writing this blog since 2009, and one year I thought it was about time I shared with you all a few of the unexpected things I’ve learned during the course of it. There were some real eye-openers! To wit: Big numbers don’t always mean quality readers This… Read more“7 Surprising Things About Blogging”