Lara Zielinsky

Story building: tone

This is part 2 of 2 posts discussing pacing and tone, crucial elements of story building. Go here for a deep dive into pacing. Today’s topic: tone. What is tone? Narrative tone is the feelings created by the words the writer (or speaker) uses that surrounds and embeds itself into the story, giving it anContinueContinue reading “Story building: tone”

Story Building: Pacing

A story is considered complete if it contains complex vivid characters with goals moving in a setting described through all or at least many different types of sensory details, and the plot logically follows from an inciting incident, through several logical complications, reaching a climax, and settles many reader questions by the time the concludingContinueContinue reading “Story Building: Pacing”

Scene building: middles

Today we’re going to discuss building compelling “middles.” Between the beginning and the end, most of the story happens. Popularly, the “muddled middle” or “the slog,” this is the bulk of your story’s plot before the climax. After the climax is generally the shortest part of your story, tying up loose ends, and characters pattingContinueContinue reading “Scene building: middles”

Congratulations 2

Another wonderful bit of news from an editing client – and writing friend. Julie Ranson has accepted a contract with The Wild Rose Press to publish She Danced Anyway, an historical (1920s) women’s fiction novel. In 1920s New York, Elizabeth, 22, has just graduated college — without an “m-r-s” degree, much to her mother’s dismay.ContinueContinue reading “Congratulations 2”

Congratulations

I am always pleased to help out a new author with their story. I do manuscript evaluations and developmental edits. Back in 2022, I helped out a lovely person by evaluating the manuscript of their first cozy lesbian mystery. Today, I learned that she’s gotten it picked up by a publisher and now has aContinueContinue reading “Congratulations”

Let Dialogue Speak for Itself

Is using “said” dialogue tags good or bad? What about using “snapped” “shouted” “whispered” or “questioned” or even the many adverbs often added to said, like “laconically” “dramatically” or “softly”? I’ve talked before about attributions in dialogue, so what I want to do today is drive home the idea of making your dialogue so sharp,ContinueContinue reading “Let Dialogue Speak for Itself”

To POV or not POV

Today I’m going to talk about ways to figure out if a character in your story needs to have a scene written from their point of view. First, POV is more than just using third person (he/she/they) or first person (I/we us/them). It is about choosing a PERSPECTIVE — a lens through which readers willContinueContinue reading “To POV or not POV”

Setting as Character

Here’s more advice about developing your story’s setting. I’ve discussed setting in several previous blogs: That Can’t Happen Here, Plan your setting, and Creating setting. So you’d think, what else can possibly be said about setting? How about making your setting a character? Making it so full and richly detailed, and integral to the wayContinueContinue reading “Setting as Character”

When Characters Won’t Act

Last week in my Build-A-Book Workshop, we were discussing developing main characters and a story plot. Previously on this blog, I have discussed plotting in Plan Your Story. That was a bit of “down and dirty” to get ready for NaNoWriMo. Figure out a character goal and several obstacles along the way that your characterContinueContinue reading “When Characters Won’t Act”

Including the past in the present story

Florida Writers Association had a good post about how/when to include backstory (and avoid info dump). Many authors I’m encountering are writing series or sequels. The question frequently asked is how to clue in a reader who may pick up a series in the middle, or a sequel when your back catalog may be unfamiliarContinueContinue reading “Including the past in the present story”