Category: show don’t tell
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How I got to my rough draft
Now I’m getting to the fun part! Sorry I haven’t published in a while. I have a good excuse: I finished the draft of the novel I started for 2018’s National Novel Writing Month. I’m calling it The Sentient and it falls under the genre of science fiction, more specifically, space opera. One thing I’ve…
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Friday’s Findings: 11.09.18
Here are some articles on writing I’ve read lately: How to Balance Show Don’t Tell in Your Writing 5 Tips for Writing About Fictional Technology 5 Reasons Not to Do NaNoWriMo Goals, Conflicts, & Stakes: Why Plots Need All Three Are You Misusing These Common Words?
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A Sneak Peek into How I Set Up My Scrivener for Writing Fiction
If you are a writer–either a veteran or an aspiring or somewhere in-between–you’ve probably heard other writers gush over the writing software named Scrivener. When I finally purchased it, I said to myself, “I should have started using Scrivener sooner.” Most fans of Scrivener agree. The best part of Scrivener is its versatility. You can…
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Epiphanies in Writing, Part 2: Editing your Novel
I don’t want to rehash what you’ve heard and discovered for yourself as a writer: “Most of writing is rewriting”; “Show don’t Tell”; “Use spell check”; “Let it cool off before you start to edit.” All good stuff. Personally, I love editing. It’s a chance to play with words, accessorize my paragraphs and paint word…
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Checklist for writing a scene
When it came to my novel, I honestly didn’t think I’d have to do that. But, here I am, the stage of my novel where I am going over each scene, and I am “killing my darlings.” I want to keep most of the scenes, but I have a criteria I go over that may…
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Fiction Writing Workshop: Action Scenes
He extends his sword and then utters these words: “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.” The most memorable part of this fight scene are these words. But why? To find the answer, I wanted to know more about writing effective fight and action scenes. My novel has several of…
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Books on writing I read in 2015
Every year I try and read a couple of books on the writing craft. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but, honestly, I love reading stuff on how to write fiction. Here is what I read in 2015: Planning a Novel, Script or Memoir by Hank Quense Quense offers practical tips on how…
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Writing Exercise: Describe One Thing Ten Ways
This writing exercise challenges the writer to describe something ten different ways. I chose Andre, a french bulldog whom I watch when his “mommy” and “daddy” are out-of-town. I have grown quite fond of him and he offers wondrous opportunities for description. Now, for my list, I decided to tackle description using the five senses…
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Writing blog roundup: great writing, create characters, writing exercises, write description, show don’t tell
What I read this week in writing blogs: The Secret of Great Writing. I recently finished editing my first novel, The Golden Crystal. How to Create Larger Than Life Characters. One thing we’re always focusing on, as authors, is creating realistic characters. Fiction Writing Exercises for Creating Characters. Whenever I’m working on a story idea, I…
Andrew M. Friday 