Tag: writing great fiction

The Clock is Ticking—5 Tips for Tighter, Cleaner Writing

Time is our enemy. Most people don’t have enough. This is why our writing must be tight, direct and hook early. Modern audiences have the attention span of a toddler hopped up on 2 liters of Coke. We can’t afford to let them drift. Drift=Bad juju I’ve edited countless books, many from new authors. I …

Continue reading

Lessons From Oleander–Beware of Premature Editing

This is what premature editing can do to our story. When we start hacking away and digging stuff out too soon, we have no idea what treasures we might be tossing in the garbage. Never underestimate what your subconscious is capable of doing. Our subconscious mind is planting seeds along the way that can eventually sprout into ideas better than we imagined.

Writing Tip #1–How Much Detail Should Writers Use?

Lesson When it comes to writing great fiction, less is often more. Think of modifiers and detail like perfume. Perfume can be lovely, sexy, attractive, and make one irresistible. It can also give others a headache or an asthma attack and have them looking for the closest bookmark exit. Action Comb through your prose and …

Continue reading

Structure Part 4–Testing Your Idea–Is it Strong Enough to Make an Interesting Novel?

I’ve been battling a cold this week, so I am just going to go ahead an post the next lesson on structure and will announce September’s winner on Monday. Trust me, you don’t want me tallying with a NyQuil hangover. Anyway, for the past couple weeks, we have been discussing story structure. I like to …

Continue reading

Anatomy of a Best-Selling Novel—Structure Part One

The normal world’s connect to the…inciting incident. Inciting incident’s connected to the…turning point. The turning point’s connected to the…next act….and here’s the bones of your boooooook. Okay, I promise to stop singing…for now :D. Want a way to stand out from all the other writers clamoring to get an agent’s attention? Want to be a …

Continue reading