Word magic.
Confused about plotting? A reader said that she’s giving up on her current novel because “her characters won’t behave.” She doesn’t like them, nor does she believe in them. Here’s a secret. Misbehaving characters can be a GOOD thing. Usually, it happens when you’re trying to make a character do something he can’t naturally do. It’s wonderful: it means that … Read more
I love plotting fiction now, but I used to hate it. What changed? My love for short fiction. When I chatted about this with a student this morning, I realized that writing short stories has a hidden benefit: it teaches you how plots work. Troubles plotting fiction? Write short material Here’s a basic plot formula used by Pixar for their … Read more
You’re writing fiction, but you’re a new author, and you’re disappointed with your results. Two strategies will help: Developing suspense: it’s essential, in the age of TikTok. Control: write in scenes, and edit. New authors tend to overwhelm their plot with backstory; that is, everything that happened before the story starts. Readers don’t care about that. They want entertainment. As … Read more
Readers want what they want, so when you’re writing fiction, it’s easy to make mistakes which annoy readers. That said, don’t despair. You can fix most mistakes easily. Writing fiction: the biggest mistake Before we look at common errors, let’s look at the biggest one: failing to capitalize on success. Sadly this is horribly common. One of my students wrote … Read more
Do you wish that editing fiction could be easier? Many authors struggle with editing, because at this stage, you’re dealing with logic, as well as imagination. Thinking logically can challenging, because when you’re writing, you’re imagining. Logic requires a different mindset; you’re looking at your fiction as a reader, rather than a writer. Before you read the tips, if you … Read more