Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
Let’s move onto language. Are you a language person? What does that mean? Even if you’re not, what do you need to know about the prose you write? The main point is that language has power. Listen on…
You’ve heard it over and over: “Show, Don’t Tell.” But do you always need to do it? And just how do you do it without making the book a lot longer than it should be? Watch this. I talk about both Lee Child and Michael Connelly’s work.
All your characters, whether major or minor, have their own character ARC. That means they change. It may be a small change; it may be a huge one. But to write fiction is to write about characters, and unless they are stereotypes you include for a reason, a three-dimensional character needs to change. Here’s more. … Read more
How many times have you stayed up waaay too late reading a book, because you just had to read one more chapter? In this video I discuss how to end your chapters so that your readers won’t be able to put your book down. How’s your Nanowrimo novel going? Comments welcome.
One of the points we’re always told when plotting a novel, no matter what genre, is to raise the stakes. The protagonist (or his/her loved ones) must confront obstacles, jump over hurdles, or solve problems… or else… But what does that really mean? I explain in this short video. Hope it helps your Nanowrimo project.
Hi, again. Here is Nanowrimo Writing Tip #2 — Beginnings. I’m still talking about suspense, but this time I start at the beginning: The all-powerful first line. I’ll talk explain how to approach it, then give you some of my all-time favorite examples. It is a little longer than I anticipated (at three and a half minutes) but hang … Read more
Hi, all. In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I decided to repost my Writing Lite video series. I hope you find them useful, even if you’re not participating. There are twelve videos, and none are over four minutes– most are under three. I’ll try to post a few each week so you have them all … Read more
We’ve already talked about developmental edits in Tip #34. I just wanted to emphasize them again. Especially if this is your first novel. Although I use a developmental editor for EVERY book. You will also, of course, need to hire a copy editor to make sure your grammar, your punctuation, Proper Nouns, and your style are consistent … Read more
You’ve finished your manuscript! You’ve polished and edited and rewritten it five times. You’re ready to publish, right? Wrong. If you want to be a professional, hire a developmental editor. Yes, it costs money, but that investment will show you where the manuscript’s strengths are, and where there is still room for improvement. A good … Read more
I am actually in awe of writers who title their chapters. I’m not sure why they do it. Or how. Writing a novel is hard enough. Why add to the hardship? Especially if your chapters are James Patterson-short, and you end up with more than 100. Numbers are just fine. And you can use numerals, … Read more