1. Keep it short. Short sentences are easier to digest. They tend to convey simple concepts. They get straight to a point. Longer sentences are useful when you need to describe something bigger, more detailed, or more complex. I’m sure you know that varying sentence lengths throughout your prose makes it stronger. Shorter sentences move […]
Tag Archives: how-to
The One-Word Sentence
These days, fiction writing is a somewhat less formal affair than it has been in the past. All-knowing narrators who set the stage with passages of elegant prose have largely made way for limited omniscient narrators who share the voice and attitudes of a single character. Those characters voices can still be elegant, flowery, and […]
How to Kill Your Muse in 10 Days
You’ve just achieved inspiration! Lightening has struck! Your muse tapped you politely on the shoulder… No, your muse knocked you upside the head. THIS is a good idea. Time to kill it. And here’s how: First, discuss your idea openly with any number of disinterested people. They’ll be sure to hack it to pieces before […]
Tips for Writers: The Perfect Crit Group
Not all critique groups are created equal. We all know that to improve as writers, we need to find that perfect balance — the reader who knows how to be honest and constructive, the one who can point out our flaws without fatally wounding our muse. Yet reality rarely offers that perfect balance. Most crit […]
The Hot Seat
One of my favorite things to do with my characters is to tie them up, shine a bright light on them, and ask them difficult questions until they squirm. Okay…not literally. Although I often picture them that way in my head. You can’t always accept the first thing a character tells you as gospel truth. […]
Book Review: Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Dresden is BACK! Not that I was worried, but after the disappointing Ghost Days (#13), I was eager to reconnect with the Harry I knew. Cold Days is the 14th (yes, that’s right) novel in an impressively long series — impressive because I’m still eager for more! This series doesn’t stagnate. With each new book, […]