Unlock Your Writing Brain with Pen and Paper

Unlock Your Writing Brain with Pen and Paper

In the beginning, pen and paper were touted as the writer’s best friend. With the advent of the typewriter, writers took up writing by machine, and in the wake of computers, many authors—and the public at large—abandoned handwriting altogether. Typing has replaced...
Story Questions: The Secret to Narrative Thrust

Story Questions: The Secret to Narrative Thrust

One of the most common reasons agents and editors pass on stories—and readers stop reading them—is a lack of narrative thrust. Narrative thrust is the engine that propels your story forward, beat by beat, scene by scene, chapter by chapter, from the very first word to...
How To Read Like a Writer

How To Read Like a Writer

This time of year, happiness is a blazing fire, a glass of wine, and a good book. Here in New England, where winters are long and cold and buried in snow, ‘tis the season for reading. My TBR pile is high—and so are my ambitions. Because while reading is one of my...
Writing In Scenes: The Secret to Show Don’t Tell

Writing In Scenes: The Secret to Show Don’t Tell

scene: a sequence of continuous action in a play, movie, opera, or book. One of the biggest mistakes I see in beginning writers’ work is the failure to dramatize. The dreaded telling, rather than showing. Writing in scenes helps you make sure that something is...

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