Character goals. Do your characters have them? Do you know? Do you ever sit down to the blank page and your characters do nothing? You get in the zone, but still, the scene goes nowhere? Are ideas dried up and the story has no place to go? Do your characters get into conflict (as they … [Read more…]
Want to overcome writer’s block? That’s right. Care LESS. Trying for perfection when writing your first draft is the best way ever to stop your writing cold. “Should she hold a rose or a daisy?” “What is the significance of each?” “What if her brother was really her cousin? Would that make sense?” “And her … [Read more…]
It’s more than just an “interest” technique (although there’s nothing wrong with building interest). A character’s job/career or lifestyle can and should be a story driver and can even expand into theme, bringing the story more depth and power.
All stories (books and screenplays) have information that needs to be told. Often it is boring information. Too often writers solve this with a big old info dump that no one wants to read. Should you just leave the information out? Maybe. Often the reader doesn’t need all the information the writer is oh, so … [Read more…]
No matter how terrific the rest of the story, the ending is what readers remember. When you write a book, a great finale to your story can be a challenge. Here are some writing tips to help.