Characters who seem strong, can, in fact, be scared half to death. Characters who seem to be so caring, can in fact be acting out of guilt, not genuine concern for others.
Tag: how to plot
Jun 17 2015
More than Just a Flashback—Introducing the Easter Egg
So we have spent a couple posts talking about “flashbacks” and I need to take a moment to expound on something. I was a naturally good editor. It’s how I got my start. But I would cut things out or change things because in my gut they didn’t work. And, I was pretty much always correct …
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Jun 15 2015
Understanding the Flashback—Bending Time as a Literary Device
We can mistakenly believe that any time an author shifts time that is the dreaded “flashback” I am referring to and the one I (as an editor) will cut. Not necessarily. We need to broaden our understanding of the “flashback” because lumping every backwards shift in time under one umbrella won’t work.
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May 13 2015
Is Your Idea Strong Enough? Story Structure Part 4
Think of your core idea as the ground where you will eventually build your structure. Novels, being very large structures, require firm ground. So how do you know if the idea you have is strong enough?
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Jun 10 2014
How to Tell if Your Story is On Target—What is Your Book About in ONE Sentence?
Think of your one sentence as your scale-model or your prototype. If the prototype doesn’t generate excitement and interest, it is unlikely the final product will succeed. So revise the prototype until you find something that gets the future audience genuinely excited.
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International Association of Professional Writers & Editors
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