The Writing Life: Discipline and Challenges
Writing demands more than just a flair for words; it requires discipline, commitment, and resilience. While many envision the life…
Advancing Your Plot
I tell writers often they are failing to “advance their plot.” What does that mean, and why does it matter?…
In Search of the Well-Crafted Sentence
View Post Every writer should spend time learning the tools of his trade. We use words, and we use them…
The Power of White Space on the Page
One of the writers of our book The 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing, Christy Distler, shares this brief story…
Watch Out for Pesky Adverbs and “Weasel Words”
If you’ve been writing fiction for a while, you’ve probably heard editors or other writers insist that adverbs and overused…
Tips to Turn Sketchy Writing into Robust Prose
Writers are hounded with the admonition to “show, don’t tell,” which is not easily done well. Showing requires learning masterful…
How to Turn Good Dialogue into Great Dialogue
We fiction writers want to write terrific dialogue. After all, dialogue is the “make or break” element in a story….
The Narrative Significance of Place
Guest post by Mariia Kukkakorpi. Have you ever considered how places influence storytelling, shape the atmosphere, or evoke the reader’s…
Pacing Tips for Fiction
Strong pacing is critical in a fictional story, but it’s one of the hardest elements to understand and master. That’s…