Internal versus External Plot
What really makes a story is the interplay between internal versus external plot. I upset some folks when I say […]
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
Return of the Crutch Words
The next round of editing, and I encounter the return of the Crutch Words. All of those verbal ticks, habits
The ScriptShark Critique Sheet
I rediscovered the ScriptShark Critique Sheet from 2009. It’s another useful tool by which to evaluate your manuscript. Listen to
First Five Words Writer’s Challenge
Our writers’ group challenge for November was First Five Words: come up with the opening line of a novel in
The Author as Translator
A revelation about my fantasy series: I’m the author as translator. Put another way, my characters don’t speak English… Listen
The Prose that Defies Editing
For me, the hardest part of writing fiction is fixing the prose that defies editing. In my head, my prose
The Story Premise that Pitches the Novel
I’ve found multiple sources of the Story Premise that pitches the novel. Longer than a simple logline, shorter than either
Seven Key First Chapter Questions
Abigail Perry’s Seven Key First chapter Questions are touchstones. They apply not only to opening chapters, but to every chapter
Writing the Last Chapter
Writing the last chapter doesn’t mean getting to the end of the plot. Whatever is in the last chapter is
Direct and Indirect Dialogue
What’s the difference between direct and indirect dialogue? And why do we need both? Listen to the audio version on