Use the Five Senses to Enliven Your Writing
In a new post on the BookBaby blog, Nancy Erickson offers advice on using sensory language to help your scenes come alive.
"Sensory language is...
Plot is a Chain of Consequence
In a post on Writers Helping Writers, editor David Brown offers advice on revising your novel scene by scene.
In his work, Brown finds that...
A Little Internal Monologue Goes a Long Way
Internal monologue is tough to master. Many of us talk to ourselves or have internal conversations as we mull choices, so it's natural to...
5 Reasons for Characters to Hide and Then Confront Their Past
Backstory is critical to your characters' motivations, choices, and growth over the course of your novel. But it can be a struggle creating circumstances...
The Art of the Opening
The Stage 32 blog shares a StudioBinder video about the art of opening scenes. In the video, they provide examples of many ways to...
Portraying Women in Historical Fiction – Part 1
In part 1 of a 3-part series, M.K. Tod offers advice for portraying women in historical fiction so that the characters are relatable to...
The Difference Between Story and Plot
In a post on Writer Unboxed, Kathryn Craft offers a helpful exercise that demonstrates the difference between story and plot, and how each works...
Your Hero Has to Lose Sometimes
We often visualize our novels as an upward journey for our protagonist. During the course of the story, our hero overcomes internal and external...
Research: Enough is Enough
While we're on the subject of historical fiction, let's talk about the amount of research you need to do. Speaking from experience, it's easy...
Prepare for the Unexpected in Historical Fiction
In an article for Writer's Digest, Janie Chang asked six writers of historical fiction for their tips on research and storytelling. Some of their...