Friday, August 29, 2014

Teaching Yourself to Write Better Dialogue: Three Steps That Will Make All the Difference

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When one of my advanced students wanted to sharpen his dialogue, I gave him the task of modeling from a favorite book.  His dialogue imp...
Friday, August 22, 2014

Importance of Action: Do You Have Enough Happening?

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All week, struggling to revise an early chapter in my novel-in-progress, I realized what was wrong:  nothing happens.  It's what I c...
Friday, August 15, 2014

How Chapters Are Built--What to Include, What to Skip, and How to Know If You Actually Have One

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This week's post is part of a weekly lesson in my online book-structuring classes, Your Book Starts Here, Part 2, sponsored by t...
Friday, July 25, 2014

Taking Back Control of What We Write--and Read: Moving Past Our Training and Culture

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Voice and theme were the topic of a recent workshop I taught at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.  We had a lively discussion a...
Friday, July 18, 2014

Crafting Pathways in Your Book: Internal Conflict, External Conflict, and How They Form a Story

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Some of the nicest moments in my life happen when nothing happens.  I think of kitchen conversations with friends, sitting in my garden,...
Friday, July 11, 2014

Overwriting, Purple Prose, Sentence Fragments, and Other Things You May Not Know You're Doing--Until Your Writing Gets Rejected

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I've been compiling a list I wish I had years ago, when I started writing books.  These are red flags to editors and publishers--sig...
Friday, July 4, 2014

When Is It Time to Send Out Your Manuscript? How to Be Smart about Next Steps

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A blog reader from New York recently emailed me:  "I've finished my novel (again) and I'm thinking about what to do next.  ...
Friday, June 27, 2014

Working with Unexpected Character Questions: Finding Your Character's (or Narrator's) Inner Story

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My summer writing goal is to bring one of my favorite characters to vividness on the pages of my novel-in-progress.  I've gotten g...
Friday, June 20, 2014

Writing Strong Transitions: Scene to Scene, Chapter to Chapter, How to Keep Your Reader Turning the Page

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I learned about the importance of transitions during my MFA study.  One of my thesis advisers, a talented novelist, read my novel-in-pr...
Friday, June 13, 2014

Pros and Cons of Feedback on Your Writing: Finding Out What You REALLY Need (and Getting It)

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I teach all levels of writers, and I especially love working with brand-new writers.  Someone who has just gotten an idea for a novel.  ...