Archive:
Plot Development
You’ll find loads of advice to help you find a great novel idea, start writing, and push through what I call the Marathon of the Middle. But you may not find as much on how to end a story, though that’s every bit important. Of my more than 200 published books, more than two-thirds have […]
Read More
Your greatest challenge as a writer is to keep readers engaged. Your job is to keep them with you page after page to find out what happens. Inject tension into your work to enthrall readers. What is Tension in Writing? Tension is anything in your manuscript—fiction or nonfiction—that causes readers to anticipate. Anticipate what? Literally […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
You’ve heard this writing advice a thousand times, and you’ll hear it a thousand times more: Show, don’t tell. But what does it mean? If you struggle with the difference between showing and telling, you’re not alone. Once you’ve got it, it seems simple. But until you do, learning this technique can be as frustrating […]
Read More
If it’s true that conflict is the engine of fiction—and I believe it is—what is the best way to inject it into your fiction? By introducing a worthy, effective antagonist. What is an Antagonist? It’s your villain, and every good story needs one. While some would argue that certain nonhuman elements, like the weather or […]
Read More