Category: dialogue

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    I’m putting today’s list of Friday’s Findings together in a coffee shop. It’s only the second time since January I’ve been to a coffee shop, which happens to be my favorite place to blog. I wore my mask when I ordered my coffee. My hand sanitizer sits on my table. And speaking of tables, the…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    During this period of COVID-19 crisis, each person who writes finds himself or herself in his own unique situation. Some are furloughed from work. Some are working at jobs considered essential. Some who write full-time already may not find their writing routine changed much. I am blessed to have a job during this time. Fortunately,…

  • Writing Style Outcasts: Telling

    Writing Style Outcasts: Telling

    Geez, “telling” gets treated like like the weird kid at school, but it’s an important tool in the writing and editing process. Stop harassing it! You’ve all heard, “Show don’t tell.” The thing is, the writer is suppose to use both. Usually, I use telling at the beginning of the scene. If the reader needs…

  • Writing Style Outcasts: Exclamation Marks

    Writing Style Outcasts: Exclamation Marks

    “An exclamation point is like laughing at your own jokes.” F. Scott Fitzgerald As the author of classics such as The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise has said in the above quote, the exclamation point is like that guy who utters stupid jokes and laughs at himself. Followed by that awkward silence. In…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    Writers helping others is a great way to improve your fiction writing skills. Here are five articles by writers on the writing craft: Five Self-Publishing Mistakes You Need To Avoid Nobody Is Going to Teach You How to Write 5 Ways to Develop Character Voices 26 Things to Remember About Being a Writer Your writing…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    Here are a few articles on writing I’ve read lately. What are the elements of plot development? Novel Synopsis Example: Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt Working with (Those Dreaded) Editors Writing Tips: 6 Ways To Give Perfectionism The Boot Author Mindset: 4 Practices For Overcoming Self-Doubt 16 Concrete Tips for Effectively Editing Your Own…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    Here’s a few things on writing I’ve read lately . . . Creative Leaps Are The Lifeblood Of Great Writing Nothing is Wasted (If You Put It To Use) How to Make Your Setting Come to Life A Stitch in Time: Pacing, World Building, and Time Travel What Happens When the Apocalypse You’re Writing Starts…

  • Going to Imaginarium 2019

    Going to Imaginarium 2019

    I’m going to Imaginarium 2019. Don’t worry, I won’t get lost. It’s just a few minutes away from where I live. This convention has workshops, venues and sessions for speculative fiction writers, gamers, cosplayers and film makers. I plan to attend as many workshops on fiction writer as possible. Some of the ones I’m particularly…

  • Mucking around in the rough draft of your NaNoWriMo creation

    Mucking around in the rough draft of your NaNoWriMo creation

    For NaNoWriMo, here are some things I’m leaving in as I write: Before November, I’ve already written a one or two sentence summary of each scene. For NaNoWriMo, I write a “scribble version” of the scene. This is a more developed summary containing key phrases, important dialogue, cues when to describe this or that, etc.…