Unless you're writing an autobiography, always remember your characters ≠ you. They have their own ideas about religion, politics, food, music, philosophy…and just about everything else you can think of.…
Anyone can describe a setting. It’s your job to help the reader feel it. Use all your senses. Is it hot or cold; stuffy or humid; drafty or stale. How…
Dialogue is the most fake-y thing that novelists write. Everything else needs to be true to reality to provoke reader emotion (which is the goal of the novelist). But dialogue?…
Characters see the world through the lens of their experiences. Remember that peasant girl from the October 31 ‘Before Your Write’ tip? She’s the one who lived in Europe during…
How do you plot a novel? Be the meanest mean that you can be. Torture your characters, never give them what they want, reward their good behavior with misfortune, and…
Everyone has their own process for writing. You won’t know what yours is until you start writing. Once you figure it out, don’t let anyone talk you out of it.…
A friend once asked me how to start writing. He’d done all his research, he’d written a pretty detailed outline. He felt like he was ready only…he just didn’t quite…
Create a character board. This is not a ‘do or die’ thing, but some people (like me) find them helpful. Whenever I read a magazine, I tear out images of…
Set a daily writing goal: time, word, page, scene…it doesn’t matter. Just set one and then don’t stop writing until you achieve it. There is a lot to be said…
Continuing this month's Christmas ideas, how about something for your favorite home-based athlete? Reflective strips are hit and miss and fluorescent vests don’t always go with the look. http://ow.ly/z09C50ji98K for…