Be Careful of Using Dreams in Place of Meaning
It's common writerly wisdom not to use dreams in your stories, for good reason. Dream sequences are corny, time-consuming, and rarely convey information that...
Advice for Digging Author Intrusions Out of Deep POV
In a post on Writers in the Storm, Lisa Hall-Wilson offers advice for writing in deep third-person point of view. "Deep POV is one...
Maria Tatar on the Subversive Power of Gossip
In an excerpt from her book The Heroine with 1001 Faces, Maria Tatar examines the cultural power of gossip. "Chatter, chitchat, gossip, idle talk,...
Exploring the Exacting Details of Graham Greene
In a post on CrimeReads, writer Craig Nova examines Graham Greene's Brighton Rock to share some of its important writing lessons, starting with his ability...
Jazz and Shakespeare Can Help You Write More Melodically
One of the writer's biggest challenges is creating prose that both carries the story and takes on a life of its own. We've read many...
10 Great Writing Elements in War and Peace
Tolstoy's War and Peace is one of the great classics of literature...that a lot of writers have never read. (Ed. note: Me too.). But in...
Crushed by Research? Here are Some Tips for Avoiding the Overwhelm
Research can be daunting, especially if your projects brings you into unfamiliar areas. How many of us have had a great idea for an...
Go Deeper Into Your Story With A Handwritten Synopsis
Mystery author Zara Altair says that writing out a novel synopsis - by hand - can help you get a handle on your story,...
Lauren Groff on Blending Research and Imagination in Historical Fiction
In an interview with Lit Hub, Lauren Groff talks about researching her latest novel, Matrix, whose central character is the medieval poet Marie de...
Use a Cinematic Approach on Your Opening Scene
You don't have to write for the movie to make your work more cinematic. In a recent post on her blog, C.S. Lakin shares...
