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”
Tag Archives: writing
TikTok Tips
I have launched a TikTok for 2023. I plan to share pithy 2-3 minute tips about writing or editing fiction. My first video is a remastered clip from a 2021 workshop, encouraging writers to write first, market later. @lz_editsfl For my first video, a PSA from #editor to #writer: write YOUR story #writeItDown ♬ originalContinueContinue reading “TikTok Tips”
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”
Stop asking WWYD
WWYD (“What would you do?”) is a common question in writing groups. It happens when an author reaches an impasse in the story for the character’s actions. So often it comes across like a popularity contest: I’ll have the character do whatever most of them say they’ll do, and that will make my story popular.ContinueContinue reading “Stop asking WWYD”
Advice for when writers struggle
Writer’s block. Some say it exists. Some say it doesn’t; it’s all in your head. Pointedly, both sides are right. Everything about story writing is in your head. Until it moves to your fingers to the rhythm of a swishing pen, or the clickety-clack of keys on a keyboard. Author Peggy Lantz posted about herContinueContinue reading “Advice for when writers struggle”
Going Serial
Some writers start at the beginning of their writing plans and know that they want to write a series. Others have a vague idea. Still others, however, may not realize they are writing a series until either, they near the end of the draft of the first book, or they get feedback and reviews fromContinueContinue reading “Going Serial”
Building Writers’ Resources
Photo by Julia M Cameron on Pexels.com You may have noticed a new menu item at the top of the page titled “Resources.” I’m going to populate this area of the site with resources to help writers with some phase of the writing (such as beginnings, middles, and ends), crafting plots, subplots, scenes, and editing,ContinueContinue reading “Building Writers’ Resources”
more about story goals
When discussing how long a scene should be, I mentioned a concept called a scene goal. The scene goal is a step toward achieving the overall story goal. The story goal is the main character’s goal. It’s a situation or outcome they want and are convinced they need in order to be happy. There canContinueContinue reading “more about story goals”
Loose ends
In the same vein as several previous articles, this week I’m going to discuss getting your draft manuscript (possibly the one you worked on for NaNoWriMo just past) ready for other eyes. This might be when you are self-editing, or getting the work ready for beta readers or a professional editor. Stories are driven byContinueContinue reading “Loose ends”
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