Tag Archives: advice

Writing Resolutions & Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s finally not 2020. Psychologically, at least, I’m ecstatic that I can close the book on the heartache and general chaos that was last calendar year. (Yes, I’m fully aware that a change in calendar year doesn’t actually change the state of the world any, but I’m going toContinue reading “Writing Resolutions & Happy New Year!”

The Problem with Cliffhangers

It’s not a huge problem, so if you’ve already gathered your torches and pitchforks, you can put them away again. My problem with cliffhangers is that most people don’t know how to define cliffhanger, and so they end up cutting off a book mid-scene, with no plot arc at all. Guess what. That’s not aContinue reading “The Problem with Cliffhangers”

NaNoWriMo: You Can Do This!

We’ve reached day four already, I can’t believe it! How is your word count looking? The stated goal for day four is 6668 words, and if you’re on track, awesome! If not, don’t fret, there’s always time for a word sprint or three, and you have more words written than you did when you started.Continue reading “NaNoWriMo: You Can Do This!”

Last Shot at Plot (Get Ready, Get Set…)

Having already covered Plot Formulae back at the end of September, I’m hoping that those of you without a complete outline at this point have at least some ideas about how to get there. But this is the final stretch, the point where we all are scrabbling at the walls to try and claw outContinue reading “Last Shot at Plot (Get Ready, Get Set…)”

Who is your Character, and what does he do?

Taking a cue from Ahnold, this is only the first of many questions you need to ask of your characters. (Also, welcome back to the meaty article series for National Novel Preparation Month.) Some authors swear by the infinite detail system, in which you systemically and categorically (but perhaps arbitrarily) write down every possible detailContinue reading “Who is your Character, and what does he do?”