Writing a gOOOd bOOOk How do you write a book? Word by word, sentence by sentence, and SCENE BY SCENE. Strong scenes show readers what they need to know about your main character: their secrets, their struggles, and their successes. There are three O’s you need in every scene you’re writing. I wish I could… Read more »
General writing
Three Things From Movies that Make Books Fun
Summer blockbusters are all about fun. So while you’re at movie nights in the park, pay attention to these three things from movies that you can add to your book and make it lots of fun! Mini Quests! We rewatched the first Percy Jackson movie after the new streaming series came out. I realized that… Read more »
Three Movies that Are Great at Dropping Clues about Characters
3 (Three) 3 Are you working foreshadowing into your story? OK, good, but are you doing it in a clever way? Consider this example I just read online. “Foreshadowing is a warning of a future event through context clues in storytelling. In a movie like Jurassic Park, the foreshadowing is subtle. When the helicopter is… Read more »
Three Things I Used to do as a Beginning Writer (But Now I Don’t)
Welcome to the next part of the Three Things series! Want to catch up on some other Three Things? Three Things I Ask My Critique Partners Three Things I Give My Critique Partners I’ve been a writer for a long time – all the way back to when I started a literary journal in… Read more »
Three Things That I Give My Critique Partner When I Share a Story
I’m a member of some fantastic critique groups. I’m actually in three groups that meet regularly, two over zoom and one in person. I love these groups, and I feel like my critique partners give me some fantastic advice. You can read about their advice on creating characters here, on tightening the focus of my… Read more »
Three Things to Help You Write A Better Story that AREN’T Writing
In this month’s post, I’m going to share three things to help you write a better story thatAREN’T writing. There’s a lot of writing advice out there about how to write better that are focused on actual writing. Things like dialogue, voice, and clarity. And those are incredibly important parts of writing. But sometimes… Read more »
Learning Something New and the Women’s World Cup
I love watching soccer, all kinds of soccer at all levels. Our whole family does! We go to local games for our rec teams, cup teams, our local USL team the Riverhounds, even MLS teams like Columbus Crew. And we took a family trip to see EPL teams Liverpool, Leeds, Man U and Everton. And… Read more »
Should I hire a professional editor for my book?
You’ve written the final draft of your book, and you’re so proud. You want to submit it to that dream agent RIGHT NOW! You’ve revised it, used the “find” tool to go through the whole manuscript and delete unnecessary words, you’ve worked on showing, not telling, and you’ve even come up with a great pitch…. Read more »
Some Advice for Writers from Birders
I’m both a birder and a writer. When I bird, I’m often out there enjoying whatever birds come my way. But sometimes, I’m looking for a specific bird. I have a goal. It can be frustrating when I can’t find it, and even more frustrating when others can. When I’m writing, I’m often creating a… Read more »
Critique Group Feedback on Creating Characters and Connecting with Readers
Getting into costume is a great way to get into character. Writers need to get into their character’s head every time they write a story. But they also need to get into their reader’s head and figure out how their reader will connect with their main character. It’s not easy to hold all of… Read more »