A discussion of why setting matters in fiction Do you have any idea where any of these stories takes place? Asking these questions about a blurb, you can see how important setting is to fiction. With the exception of the last one, retreating to a beach house, there’s very little about setting in any ofContinueContinue reading “Setting: That can’t happen here”
Tag Archives: advice
Describing character: gain perspective
Listen to this post and more on Spotify or Anchor.fm You, dear writer, have all those wonderful character sheets filled out with demographics: Jamie Dotter is, 29, 5’11”, blonde, Nordic features, muscular build, college degree from Wellsley College, law degree from Harvard, in her fourth year working as a lawyer with Grant, Hardy, and Iglesias,ContinueContinue reading “Describing character: gain perspective”
Scene building using goals
Listen to this blog on Spotify. I previously discussed the structure of a scene is based around conflict and overcoming it. But conflict and obstacles comes in many forms. They can be as simple as encountering a child’s fallen toy on the floor while crossing the room. What really guides the scene and makes itContinueContinue reading “Scene building using goals”
Structuring a Scene
Listen to this blog post on Spotify. The scene is the basic building block of any story. It contains actions and reactions, and dialogue (inner and outer). A scene has ONE point of view, and takes place (with few exceptions) while the POV character moves within a single setting. On TikTok, I posted an overviewContinueContinue reading “Structuring a Scene”
Past vs Present tense
This is a post about tense. There’s a rising prevalence of first person, present tense stories, and I wanted to see if it was just my perception or if more people were writing in present tense. So, on Mastodon, I started a poll – the thread that followed was also very informative. Photo by PixabayContinueContinue reading “Past vs Present tense”
One a day keeps the goal in play
Spotify recording of this post can be listened to here. This is a bonus wrap-up of my NaNoWriMo 2022 posts covering ideas for maintaining a pace to achieve your goal. Listen to this blog on Spotify Photo by Dom J on Pexels.com If you write every day in November, the pace necessary to reach 50kContinueContinue reading “One a day keeps the goal in play”
Plan your audience
Listen to this blog in Spotify This is the fourth of four posts (there will be a bonus next Tuesday) that I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out ofContinueContinue reading “Plan your audience”
Plan your characters
Developing character, by Lara Zielinsky Listen to this blog on Spotify This is the third of four posts I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out of your mad dashContinueContinue reading “Plan your characters”
Plan your setting
City plan, generated by Probable Train Listen to this blog on Spotify This is the second of four posts I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out of your madContinueContinue reading “Plan your setting”
Plot Your Story
Listen to this blog on Spotify This is the first of four posts I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out of your mad dash toward the pinnacle of 50,000ContinueContinue reading “Plot Your Story”
