Lift a Sagging Middle with “What If?” by Kay Keppler
Most writers, sooner or later, will hit the problem of the Sagging Middle. The story pacing slows—the plot might even bore you a little bit now—and you don’t know what to do about it.
Tagged: writing
Once You Start, Where Do You Stop? by Nevada McPherson
Greetings! Hope your summer reading and writing projects are coming along nicely. If you’ve been busy with other summer activities you’ve still got a few weeks to read a novel or two or to pen a rough draft before fall arrives. I’ve personally been in the process of moving into a new apartment and am only now getting to some projects I’ve been planning.
Submit to a Writing Contest and/or be a Judge by Raina Schell
When I was brand spanking new to novel writing I entered a local writing contest. Looking back I realize I entered for the wrong reasons. I wanted to win. I wanted a pat on the back. I thought that everyone who read my entry would Oooo and Ahhh. After all, it was a scene I had worked on for years and I thought it was really good. What constituted “really good” for me and now are two different things.
Take it Outside! by Nevada McPherson
I came across this quote on a bookmark the other day and was mindful of it the next time I went outside to sit on my back steps. There is a positive and grounding force in connecting with nature and I believe it feed and nurtures our creativity.
Accountability Using Google Spreadsheets by Raina Schell
A few months ago I decided on an exercise challenge. After two years of bi-weekly handstand classes I still could not balance on my own in the center of the room. After asking experts I was told, “you need to practice every single day no matter what, for a minimum of two minutes a day. If you do this, in six months to a year you’ll have your handstands.”
Defeating the Sinister Synopsis by Jami Gray
You managed to find your way through the battlefield of plot, claw your way free of character motivation, and rejoiced as you conquered the unsurmountable ending of happiness. Behold the miracle, you have emerged triumphant with a COMPLETE BOOK.
Say That Again: Writing Dialogue by Kay Keppler
People talk to each other all the time, so it seems as though writing dialogue should be simple. But many writers trip up over making dialogue sound natural. Here’s a sample of something I see frequently when I’m editing manuscripts:
A Sensory Awakening Game By Wyatt G. Bessing
“…the bearded merchants in furred robes conversing quietly as they picked their way along the slimy stones above the water, the fishermen unloading their catch, coopers pounding and shipmakers hammering and clamsellers singing and shipmasters bellowing, and beyond all the silent, shining bay.”
Outlasting The Written Flood by Jami Gray
Every format of story telling—written, sung, painted, sculpted, photographed, inked, digitally enhanced—shares a sprinkle of an illusive elixir, a potion which will enable the viewer or reader to step into the magical world crafted from the artist’s mind. It is combination of words, note arrangement, brush strokes, use of lines, lighting, or shading that snag the listener’s imagination and set their hooks in so deep they believe, for a heartbeat or a collection of moments, that the artist’s fantastical world is real.
I Have Confidence In Confidence Alone – Do You? By Carol Malone
Do you remember Sister Maria from The Sound of Music? She sang a little song about having confidence before she plunged into the world of Captain Von Trapp and his seven motherless children. As she sang, she acknowledged her doubts and fears, but she didn’t chicken out or turn back.
The Q&A by Nevada McPherson
In my last post I talked about how you should take every opportunity to talk about your work when you get the chance, to see what others have to say and to learn from the questions people ask. Sometimes they catch you off-guard in a way that makes you have to say something from the gut, and it forces a writer to be in the moment, and to be authentic.
Playing Games With Your Characters’ Emotional Spaces by Wyatt Bessing
There are multiple kinds of truth, in fiction as in life. As fiction writers, we move as close to the truth as possible without ever quite veering into truth entirely (otherwise we’d be writing nonfiction). One kind of truth emanates from a realism of scene and detail. By identifying with familiar settings and character traits, readers are pulled into a story and become personally attached to it.
Take a Risk: Build Your Presence as a Writer by Deanna Jackson
Before my novella was changed into a novel, I begun to think about querying agents. I researched everything I could about how to write query letters and studied samples from published authors. Most of the samples suggested adding a paragraph at the end of your letter to tell a little about yourself and your writing experience.
Writer’s Brain – Whose Brain Is It? by Raina Schell
Sometimes writing is like being in a trance. How else can it be explained? When people have experiences, like taking the kids to the zoo for the first time or falling in love; we remember them. We may even remember what our lover was wearing the first time we laid eyes on him or her.
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