Tag: writing tips

Description: Fiction Without the Fillers

National Novel Writing Month starts tomorrow (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo). For those who aren’t yet familiar with NaNoWriMo, it is a yearly challenge to write 50K words in thirty days. It’s a fantastic introduction into writing as a profession, because writing as a profession differs vastly from writing for a hobby.  NaNoWriMo is held during the first …

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The Perfect Enemy: How “Perfect” Destroys Perfectly Good Stories

Perfect is the crystal meth of the soul. We know perfect is bad for us, that we should avoid it because it is impossible to attain. Yet, when we fail to remain vigilant, perfect’s promising high lures us in. Perfect whispers in our ear that we’re in total control and can stop any time we …

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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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