Tag Archives: writing craft

Sample Sunday: Staying True to My ‘Author’s Voice’

I re-write entire chapters numerous times in order to capture all vital elements with the best possible word combinations, while at the same time making sure I stay true to my ‘author voice’. That last one is the hardest. Invariably, … Continue reading

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Action & Reaction

This post is based on the concepts of Dwight Swain, author of Techniques of the Selling Writer. Last week, I focused on the basic building blocks of a story: Scenes. This week, I take the Scene concept a step further … Continue reading

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7 Suggestions for Crafting Sound Scenes

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When sitting down to blog about writing a novel, there are so many aspects to consider it’s easy to develop brain-freeze. What to discuss? Character development? Plot structure? Dialogue? Theme? Goal, motive and conflict? These and many more are all … Continue reading

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In Defense of ‘Easy-Readers’

Many critics do a grave injustice to easy-reading books, calling them barely literate escapism (aka ‘fluff’, ‘trash’, or ‘popular fiction’). Being an avid reader since the age of four, I feel qualified to champion easy-readers everywhere. Here’s the thing. Whenever … Continue reading

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Crafting Sound Scenes

Typically, a scene describes action taking place in a single setting and in a single period of time. Similar to a novel, a scene should have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. These are a few writing tips for … Continue reading

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Writing Dialogue That Works

While writing realistic dialogue is one of the most powerful tools in an author’s toolkit, it is also a skill many of us find difficult to master. Dialogue is an excellent way to implement the “show, don’t tell” rule of … Continue reading

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