Archive:
Fiction
You write… and rewrite. You cut and tweak. You finally hit ‘save.’ But deep down, you’re still not sure if your short story is any good.” The problem isn’t you. The problem is writing in a vacuum. If you’ve ever stared at your screen wondering “Is this even working?”—you’re not alone. Writing short stories can be […]
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Want Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More “It’s a shame so many brilliant would-be authors never finish their novel—while others breeze through the process and get published.” What makes the difference? It’s not talent. It’s not even discipline. It’s knowing what to do… and when to do it. That’s what this page is going […]
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Written well, a flashback can give your readers insight into a character and add depth to your story. Done poorly, it can feel out of place, forced, and worse—cliched. A flashback constitutes an interruption of your main onstage present story to depict events from the past. If you flash back, you must have a concrete […]
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Full disclosure: I’m not a huge fan of Epilogues. That’s not to say they’re all bad. In fact, I’ve ended several of my novels with Epilogues. Done right, they can be a powerful way to leave your reader satisfied. But beware! Approach your Epilogue wrong and you can ruin the end of your story. So, […]
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Do you start your novel with a Prologue? Or do you dive right into Chapter One? The choice can determine whether readers are drawn in or never get past the first page. I lean away from a Prologue whenever possible. When I do use one, it’s only because there’s backstory the reader cannot do without. […]
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