“Stand right there and break the wind.” “He was waving his arms and ejaculating at the top of his lungs.” “I have the same problem when my pants get hot.” “What a sweet kitten. So delicious!” “You’re not supposed to spread them that far apart.” “Tie it off with that… Read more“21+ Things Your Characters Should Never Say”
Writing by word count or set time?
Write by word count or set time each day??—@oldguey Hey, did you folks all get together and decide you were worried about just one thing this week? This is kind of eerie. Sure, you can write by word count. Or you can set a minimum time limit. If you’re lucky… Read more“Writing by word count or set time?”
Prioritizing
How do I get myself to prioritize my novel writing over that of other writing, like articles and blog posts? I love the shorter writing pieces because they’re done more quickly, and then I get comments and feedback, and that feels great! But with my novel, it feels like such… Read more“Prioritizing”
Writing every blessed day
Is it really 100% required that one write every day? Is it true that people who don’t and actively resist doing so (whatever their reasons) really just aren’t cut out to be writers?—Ai Now, see, this is why you guys should never listen to each other. You don’t know what… Read more“Writing every blessed day”
Pacing
Pacing. Not so much pacing within a scene, or even a chapter. But from chapter to chapter. And especially over the course of several chapters.—Jeffrey The way to structure a chapter properly for pacing is to use the same structure you use for your novel, only holographically. That means in… Read more“Pacing”
Laying a separate track
Okay, here’s my dilemma. (Which I’ll figure out by May 1 but what the hey). In my first draft, my heroine finds out her nemesis is her half-sister in a climactic reveal. In my revision, those two characters start looking the same. The problem is that it started to turn… Read more“Laying a separate track”
Tensing
Tense. Tenses make me tense. Made me tense? Good grief, tell me there is/was/will be a simple trick to keeping it all straight. Thanks!—lisa Funny you should mention this, Lisa. Tense makes lots of people tense. Tense makes me tense. Lucky for you, there IS a simple trick to keeping… Read more“Tensing”
Faking a resolution
You often mention faux-resolutions. Can you go into greater depth about what this means, how to best accomplish this, how close to the real resolution it should come, etc?—Joe Iriarte Of course, Joe. Now, I know as well as you do that you people would never fake out your reader…. Read more“Faking a resolution”
Prologuing
To prologue or not to prologue? (First book and subsequent books.)—@CourtneyReese86 Short answer? Not. Long answer? Why not? Because the purpose of a prologue is to either set the scene, create a mood, or give the reader essential backstory. Once upon a time, writers experimented heavily with the first two… Read more“Prologuing”
Striking a good balance
How can I strike a good balance between dialogue, summary, and exposition (used sparingly, I know), and how do you know when is the right time to use each of these in a scene?—Lyn South Here’s your balance: 90% scenes, which contain dialog, action, and description; 10% exposition, which is… Read more“Striking a good balance”