Kristen Lamb

Author's posts

Time as a Literary Device: Flashbacks vs. Non-Linear Structure

Time is one of many tools we authors can use when crafting a story. This said, bending time takes training and skill because it’s one of the toughest techniques to pull off well. Even those who bend time masterfully will have their fair share of critics because most audiences are accustomed to linear structure. This …

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The Log-Line: Can You Pitch Your ENTIRE Story in ONE Sentence?

Today we’re going to chat about log-lines. Some of you might be wondering if I was trying to give you a heart attack with my title. Maybe you think this feat is impossible. AN ENTIRE NOVEL IN ONLY ONE SENTENCE? Maybe something simple, plebeian and commercially formulaic *flips hair* but ART cannot be forced into a …

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Is Your Story STUCK? 5 Reasons Your Novel is Breaking Down

If you’ve been writing any amount of time you’ve been there—STUCK. Stuck is the place we never want to be, but goes with the job. Every writer at one time or another has experienced the literary doldrums. We hit a spot that, no matter how hard we try, we just cannot seem to move our …

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FEAR: Why Humans Crave Stories That Disturb Them

Fear is, in all likelihood, the single most complex human emotion. Our fears can keep us up at night, but they can also be the only thing that keeps us alive. They can save us, strangle us, liberate us or even destroy us. Like fire, fear can be mesmerizing and for sound reasons. We understand …

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This is Gonna Leave a Mark: What Makes a “Real” Writer?

Those who’ve followed my blog long enough know I’m no fan of the Schrodinger’s Writer Game. Is the writer real or unreal? What IS a real writer? For ages, we quibbled that a real writer had an agent. A real writer scored a legacy publishing deal. One had to pass the NYC gatekeepers to be …

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