Writing tips, advice, and secret sauce – Creativity, getting things done, dialog, plots, and more
Twist Endings Are All About The Foreplay Writing a story with a twist ending is a lot like writing a mystery. Both have to be set up properly to avoid confusing or frustrating your readers. You have to play fair and use foreshadowing to plant clues to the twist. When the twist is revealed, it should feel like finding the […]
Writing a Shocking Finale, Plus Story Ideas With a Twist Read More »
Choosing the right story order for your anthology If you’ve never published a short story collection or anthology, it might seem simple. You already have all the material, so all you need is a title and cover art, right? But wait, you have to think about the order! A well-planned arrangement of stories can keep readers turning the page and
The Right Way To Organize A Short Story Collection Read More »
Creating godlike super heroes who still feel human Every writer wants to create sympathetic characters, but when you’re writing a super hero with godlike powers, the wrong origin story can make them unrelatable. Unstoppable Man may have witty dialogue and original powers, but if he doesn’t feel like a real person, readers just won’t care. One of the foundational super
Writing Shortcuts Are Lazy, But So Are Dogmatic Writing Rules Some writers insist that adverbs, adjectives, and any dialogue tag besides “said” are lazy shortcuts that weaken your writing and should always be avoided. However, dogmatic writing rules are lazy in their own way. Dogmatic rules are just a way to avoid thinking about individual situations. The truth is, in
So you have a story idea. Maybe a pizza shop is struggling to stay open, or aliens are invading a toy store, or reverse vampires are injecting people with too much blood. Now you need a main character! To start creating a great protagonist, ask yourself three questions: The answers to these questions will help guide your other character development
The Three-Question Method to Creating a Great Protagonist Read More »
