What Shape Is Your Story?
It's always a good day to share a video of Kurt Vonnegut talking about writing. “Stories have very simple shapes, ones that computers can...
Use Strong Characters to Help Your Reader Jump to Conclusions
In a post on Writer Unboxed, Keith Cronin suggests writers explore and leverage the way people jump to first impressions when they meet someone...
It’s Gotta Be This or That
Strong narrative drive requires you to write about characters in action. The surest way to get your characters moving is to give them choices,...
Crime Fiction Owes More to the Victims
Politicians and social commentators often make hash out of violence in popular culture, gaming, and the arts. They say that depictions of violence desensitize...
La Plus Ça Change…
In their latest podcast, the Writing Excuses hosts discuss why writers of fantasy and science fiction allow their worlds to remain static. In our...
Use Poetry to Unlock a Different Kind of Prose
If you're like this editor, you read in a variety of genres and forms, including plays, essays, and poetry. Unfortunately, many writers wouldn't be...
Advice on Developing Characters On Either Side of a Societal Conflict
As you grow as a writer, you might feel the need to tackle significant themes in your writing. Even many genre novels address topical...
Set Scenes by Thinking Like a Director
Continuing her series of articles on using cinematic techniques in prose, C.S. Lakin offers more specific advice on mastering this approach. "The more you...
Do You Know Your Character’s Backstory?
Your characters may first appear to your reader on page 1 of your story, but in their world, they've lived full lives before we...
He Said, She Said: Finding a Better Way to ID Characters with Dialogue
Writers love to debate the use of dialogue tags. Some eschew them altogether. Some argue that "said" is the only acceptable attribution, while others...
