Help for Writers
Does Your Fight Scene Pack a Punch?
Long ago, movie directors mastered the technique of creating a convincing fight scene. Bodies crash to the floor.. chairs are upended... viewers are treated to closeups of terrified or furious faces... and the punches thrown are enough to make us wince and close our...
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How to Avoid Viewpoint Slips
Sit back, and imagine what it feels like to be you. Now that shouldn't be too hard - you've lived in your own skin for a long time. Do you feel happy or sad? Do you feel on edge or relaxed? Do you feel tired or energetic? Do you feel angry or calm? Now think about...
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Whose Story Is It?
Whenever you sit down to plot a story (or even to think about a story) one of the first things you have to ask yourself is this: "Whose story IS it?" It seems like a simple question - but your story can succeed or fail depending on how you handle this. Told from the...
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Being Sneaky – Introducing Villains and Clues
If there's one thing that really annoys readers of mysteries, it's being able to guess who the villain is by page 30. This happens for a variety of reasons, including: the author being so determined to 'play fair' that she makes it too obvious who the villain is the...
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Before You Start to Plot
Here's a quick question for you: what's easiest to write - a 'woman in jeopardy' story or a police procedural? If you are (or have been) a police officer, then 'police procedural' might be the answer for you. If you know nothing about police procedure, it would...
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Just Too Convenient
Some time ago I happened to critique several scenes in one week for a writer. In two of them, she'd made life much too easy for her characters. In the first scene, complete strangers offered the children shelter and food. In the second, one of them needed to hide......
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5 Ideas for Plot Twists
I admit that this might start to sound a bit like the developments in your favorite (or most-hated) soap opera - but remember: readers LOVE to be surprised! Your job is to tread the fine line between giving them a plot twist that they didn't see coming, and having...
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Help Your Readers See Your Characters
When you go to see a movie, you instantly know what characters look like; one glance at the screen lets you absorb dozens of small details. Obviously, writers have a much harder task. You do have one advantage over film: you can tap into the character's thoughts, and...
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Before You Start to Plot
Here's a quick question for you: what's easiest to write - a 'woman in jeopardy' story or a police procedural? If you are (or have been) a police officer, then 'police procedural' might be the answer for you. If you know nothing about police procedure, it would...
read more
Turning Points in a Story
What are "TURNING POINTS" in a novel? Put simply: a turning point in a story is A POINT AT WHICH THINGS CHANGE. You should be able to find a turning point in most of your scenes: it's an indication that your story is moving forward. Any story is full of degrees of...
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The Power of Brainstorming
So, it's official. You're stuck. Maybe you can't come up with a decent story idea. Maybe you've no idea of where to take the plot. Or possibly you're just losing patience with an intractable character. Whatever it is, you feel as though you're spinning your wheels....
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Satisfying Story Endings
Story endings are hard to write - often much harder than beginnings. Any author who wants to be published must understand how to write a book with a powerful ending. It's important to know two things: one, what will disappoint readers (and editors) and two, what works...
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