Pacing: Crafting Tone with Words
I get a lot of inspiration from music. Sometimes I’ll listen while writing, though I do get distracted when a Latin mix dances into my ears. Over time, and hearing much praise and critique, I realized there’s a major similarity between music and novels. Just as a song has a tempo that gets you moving, novels need good pacing to keep readers engaged and connected to the scene.
Inspired by the Mayans: Revolutionary Writing Method of Ethnography
There’s so much in our world that can help develop our creative minds. Today is all about the study of ethnography and how it relates to writing.
Dialogue: Writing Snappy Conversation for Story Development
I love characters. Can’t have a good story without them. Subsequently, I love dialogue. The banter between lovers, the squabbles amongst siblings, the mourning of lost comrades. Good dialogue connects a reader to the characters, showing them their personalities, how they relate to others, and sometimes providing vital information.
Story Arc: Refreshing the Basics
Why am I writing a post on story arcs? Am I bored, looking for something to write about?
I wish. As much as I think I know novel writing, I find myself learning new things and relearning the importance of old lessons. As of late, I’ve been bombarded by movies and books with very little direction. They have all the right elements, yet lack an arc that takes you from uncertainty to triumph. Perhaps I’m simply making myself feel better that I know how to write properly, but hopefully this refresher helps you as much as me.
Reasons Why Your Novel Should Marinate
Writing a novel is thrilling. Thoughts become prose, imagination solidified into ink. After the first draft, you stress over edits. What should stay, what should go. What’s missing and what needs to not exist. By the time you finish the final draft, you’re ready to do whatever it takes to see it in the hands of readers.
But sometimes what a book needs most is to sit. And wait. And marinate.
Show not Tell: 3 Simple Tricks for Descriptive Writing
“Show, don’t tell.” The mantra of any good writer, and my nemesis for a long while. 85k words and I didn’t “show enough.” Everyone lived in a “fog” and my descriptions (amongst other things) had to get better. I had to learn the meaning of descriptive writing over time. I realized recently that, like mini me, others struggle with showing rather than telling. Since I’m now known in my critique group for having phenomenal description, I figured a post was due.
Romance Genre: How to Write a Cringeless Love Story
Yuck. That’s usually my response to any romance novel. But that’s only because I have high expectations.
Reality doesn’t have a Chris Hemsworth bumping into a Jennifer Lopez in the grocery store while her ex Jason Mamoa seethes with jealousy in the background. And if that is reality, then it’s really boring. It’s more obvious in movies, but even books have drop-dead gorgeous characters that whine about if the guy likes them and how quickly they can get into bed together. But love doesn’t work that way.
The Secrets Behind Excellent Mystery Writing
I never celebrated Halloween (don’t be alarmed), but I always loved watching the special episodes on NCIS and other crime shows. The crime and investigation always took a strange turn that left you confused and somewhat weirded out. By the end, everything made sense and all the seeming nonsense tied a nice little bow around the killer or thief. That’s the best part about a mystery; the active search for a guilty party and the twists and turns that leave you guessing as to who the culprit truly is. Which is why this Halloween, I’m deep-diving into the genre of mystery and seeing what it takes to write the next great detective.
Creative Blocks: 5 Ways to Restart Mental Traffic
Bustling with life in every mind is imagination city. It never sleeps or stops. Until there’s a traffic jam. The infamous creative block has many categories: writer’s block, design block, painting block. Well, I haven’t heard that last one, but I’m sure even painters freeze at the canvas sometimes. Easier to say creative block since it’s all the same scenario: you’re doing what you love and then draw a blank.
Creative blocks are of particular annoyance. Everyone has an idea of things to do to break the block. For me, these five things really helped move traffic along and gave me a plethora of ideas for projects and books.
Realistic Characters: How to Write Authentic Characters
My favorite part about writing is the characters. I love reading different character personalities. I love watching character dynamics on TV. And most of all, I love creating characters. But it’s not just for authors. Characters act in comics and come alive in animation. Viewers of all kinds connect with characters and that connection pulls them into the story however it’s told.