Revealing characters through dialogue is one of the easiest things to convey and at the same time? It’s the most challenging approach to characterisation. Why? Writing natural-sounding dialogue under any regular circumstance is already tough. And a lot of writers…
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The first line of your novel can be your best friend, but it takes work. It’s the single most important way to draw readers into the rest of your story. And almost no one talks about it. Surprising, but there’s…
Leave a CommentWord count isn’t something to worry about while you’re writing your first draft. I’m a big advocate of “it takes a long as it takes” to get the story out. Word count is something to consider later, after you get…
Leave a CommentFirst rule of writer’s block? Don’t let it defeat you. You can overcome it and stay prolific. There are a million reasons why it happens and you’re not alone. We’ve all hit it at some point, but the thing to…
Leave a CommentWriting… how do I centre myself for it? What does it take to clear my mind? There’s no secret really. Mostly it’s a matter of being disciplined with myself. Eva left this question on the blog the other day. As…
1 CommentWeak intensifiers are thieves stealing power from your writing. They’re also sneaky little squealers telling the world you lack confidence. Before you can understand why weak intensifiers are bad, we’ll need a quick grammar lesson. I’ll keep it simple.…
Leave a CommentNarrative voice, one of the things that arises with the creation of your story, is the perspective from which the events in your story are observed. What does that mean? It’s the point of view, dude. It’s also much more.…
Leave a Comment(and could possibly make them want to light you on fire) I know I’ve mentioned most of these grammar usage pet peeves peppered throughout other articles, but they keep happening. In view of that, seems that some of these big…
Leave a Comment20 Pieces of Practical Advice Writing tips are something you can never have enough of, especially when it’s practical advice. You’d think a lot of these writing tips don’t need to be said, but I think it’s important they are.…
Comments closedCharacter Development – Give Characters Your Soul Character Development is the single most important thing you can put energy into for your character-driven story. “What? Is it over? He can’t die!” That reaction? You should aim for it with every…
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