All of us will feel a NEED to explain why a character is moody, angry, broken, bawdy, whatever. DON’T. Resist the urge to EXPLAIN. In fact, if readers don’t know WHY, they will want to turn pages to find out WHY.
Tag: how to write a novel
Jun 11 2015
Deep P.O.V. Part Two—Crawling Inside Your Characters
Yes, there are style changes we can make, like removing as many tags as we can and ditching sensing and thinking words. But deep POV is strongly tethered to characterization. Good characterization.
Jun 01 2015
Choosing a P.O.V.—What is BEST for YOUR Story? Structure Part 9
P.O.V. used properly can create entire worlds, and breathe life into characters. Used improperly, it can make your reader feel like she’s been bungee-corded to Satan’s Merry-Go-Round—not good.
May 18 2015
Your Novel in ONE Sentence—Anatomy of Story Part 5
In the world of screenwriting there is a tenet, “Give me the same, but different.” This axiom still holds true when it comes to novels.
May 06 2015
Anatomy of a Best-Selling Story—Structure Part One
Writers must understand structure if they hope to be successful. Yes, it might take five years to finish the first novel, but if we land a three book deal, we don’t have 15 years to turn in our books. Also, in the new paradigm of publishing, writers who produce more content have greater odds of making …