by Marg McAlister | General, Your Writing Business
Meet Those Writing Deadlines! If you’re having trouble finding the time to write, join the club. Time management is a huge issue for writers. Those who work outside the home, somehow have to squeeze in writing time around commuting, working, and (probably)...
by Marg McAlister | General, Grammar and Layout, Scenes and Structure
“The magic of layout…”??? Okay… “magic” might seem a bit over the top when you first read this article title. But believe me, although it doesn’t involve incantations or bubbling cauldrons, careful selection of layout does...
by Marg McAlister | Characters
Is your character a “Mary Sue”? About a year ago, I received an email from a reader that said, in part: “… all of my sisters read my stories, but when one of them remarked that my character was a “Mary-Sue”, I became horrified....
by Marg McAlister | Characters
I’m willing to bet that, most of the time, you tap out a sentence or two about what your character is wearing almost as an afterthought. (Hang on, you think, I’ve got to help the reader picture this guy. What’ll I dress him in? Ummm… he’s...
by Marg McAlister | Characters, Plotting
“What does your character want?” It seems like a simple question – yet it is one that can cause untold problems for some writers. They fuss and fiddle about with all manner of MINOR things that the character wants, and totally miss the big one! What...
by Marg McAlister | Characters, Writing Fiction
My librarian and I share a passion for mysteries and thrillers. She knows my tastes so well now that she puts new books on reserve for me as soon as they are in the system. But when I think about our conversations about the latest story that we both loved, I...
by Marg McAlister | Characters, Writing Fiction
Let’s make it clear from the start that I’m not saying that ALL your characters should be likeable. Of course not. We all need characters that we love to hate! But when it comes to the main character – think carefully before you present this person...
by Marg McAlister | Characters
What’s the one thing that is most likely to make a reader discard a book without finishing it? An unlikeable character. This was brought home to me forcibly last week, when I had to read a book ready for discussion at a book club meeting. This was the very first...
