A Healthier Approach to Criticism of Your Art/Work
Criticism sucks but it's necessary if we're to grow as writers. Unless you're content to keep your work in a notebook in closed drawer,...
He Said, She Snapped: Variations on Dialogue Tags
In a post on Writer Unboxed, Barbara Linn Probst suggests alternatives to the use of "said" as a dialogue tag. While "X said" is...
Reality is but an Illusion
In their latest podcast, the Writing Excuses hosts explore the concept of literary illusion in the context of worldbuilding. They explore how writers can...
Plot vs. Character Arcs
Much is made of the difference between writers who plot and those who make it up as they go along. We hear less about...
Advice for Eliminating the Static from Your Story Signal
Donald Maass suggests an interesting definition for static hiss: any information that detracts from the main signal. In a post for Writer Unboxed, Maass...
Emotions: Dealing with the Committee in Your Character’s Head
In a post on Writers in the Storm, Lisa Wilson-Hall offers her perspective on writing your character's emotions. Interesting, Wilson-Hall says emotions serve three...
How to Keep Writing, Even When You’re Not
Most writers set some sort of productivity goals for themselves. It's important to keep yourself motivated and on-track to complete your projects. You don't...
8 Bad Ways to Make a Good First Impression
First impressions are important, but especially so in storytelling. You only get one chance to introduce your reader to your protagonist. Unlike the real...
Advice for Putting Sound on the Page
Yesterday, we posted an article about using the sense of smell in your writing. Today, we have another sense: hearing and sound. Other than...
Accepting the Silliness in the Classic Whodunnit
As movies such as Clue or Murder by Death suggest, the classic whodunnit has an inherent sense of silliness. In a realistic scenario, a...
