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…
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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…
Balancing “Showing” with “Telling” in Fiction
It’s the golden rule of fiction: show, don’t tell. But it’s easier said than done. Show too much, and you’ll…
Backstory Tips and Tricks
You’ve spent hours, maybe months, developing a rich background for each of your characters and the world they inhabit. As…
5 Ways to Strengthen Weak Writing
Every writer has to work on strengthening the construction of their sentences and paragraphs. No one’s writing is perfect, but…
Starting Your Scenes with a Bang!
Openings are a science unto themselves, be they openings for an entire book, for a chapter, or for a scene….
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