Great page-turning stories live or die by their plots. “I took the dog to the park” doesn’t interest me. “You won’t believe what happened when I took the dog to the park” interests me. I want to know what happened, so I’ll stick with you as long as your story holds me. To keep me […]
Read MoreIf your story starts with anything foreboding—creaking floors, snuffed-out candles, or threatening skies, you’re implying danger or terrible trouble ahead for your main character. Masterful storytellers foreshadow such things with disquieting clues of what’s to come. What is Foreshadowing? And Why is it Important? Foreshadowing is a literary device authors use to lay a foundation […]
Read MoreWant Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More Who she is Her essays have been published in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, Guideposts, and aired on National Public radio. The first two of her five books, My First White Friend: Confessions on Race, Love, and Forgiveness (Viking/Penguin) and I Told the Mountain to Move (Tyndale) were award […]
Read MoreWant Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More Guest Post by Brian Tracy Over the course of writing more than 70 books, I have found two things essential to turning my ideas into published books. The first is following a proven system to plan, write, edit, and publish my manuscripts. The second is setting goals and […]
Read MoreWant Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More As novelists, our job is to create a story that captivates readers from the get-go. Literary devices such as metaphor, irony, backstory, et al, can help readers better understand, feel, or see a greater meaning to a piece of writing. But with many literary devices to choose […]
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