Learning to Create Tension from The Comfort of Strangers
One of the key elements of great suspense or psychological thriller stories is a sense of disorientation. When a protagonist doesn't know if they...
People Don’t Think That Way: Examples on Writing Deep POV
In a post on Writers in the Storm, Laurie Schnebly Campbell examines deep POV, offering both a definition and good examples of how to...
Sherlock’s Violin: Humanize Your Sleuth With Hobbies
We all have hobbies and interests, so why shouldn't your fictional detective? Hardboiled crime fiction is rife with private eyes who like booze and...
Pain Means It’s Time to Go Deeper
In a new "Writing Wednesdays" post, Steven Pressfield shares an inspirational quote from Olympic gold medalist swimmer John Naber. When asked the difference between...
Use Cultural Taboos to Add Depth and Detail to Your Historical Fiction
In a long article for Lit Hub, Aimee Parkison shares how researching cultural taboos, particularly customs that forbid women from participating in certain behaviors,...
Emotions Are Your Gateway to Story
Maya Angelou once said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget...
Psychological Thrillers Start Close to Home
In a post on CrimeReads, author Nicci French - a pseudonym for the writing partnership of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French - say that...
How Trauma Informs an Unreliable Narrator
There are many story reasons explaining why your MC may be an unreliable narrator. They might struggle with mental illness or substance abuse, or...
Leveraging Your Characters’ Biases
In their latest podcast, the Writing Excuses hosts and guest Fonda Lee suggest ways you can leverage your characters' biases in your novel. Regardless...
5 Tips for Creating an Eerie Atmosphere
While not every reader is a horror fan, plenty love to be scared. A good fright gives us the same natural high we get...
