Try Ideas

You Must Try it On
I’m watching “What Not to Wear,” TLC’s fashion advice show. The hosts, Stacy and Clinton preach one thing that struck me today: you must try clothes on to see if they fit and look the way you want. You can’t tell anything by just looking at something on a hanger. You [...]

Big Scenes

Every Novel Needs a Scene
In my WIP, I need to write a big scene: cast of dozens, culmination of major plot threads, emotional high for major characters.
Big scenes should be a part of every novel, because there should be places where characters, plot events, outer and inner narratives arcs, and subplots intersect. The [...]

Don’t Avoid the Emotion

I’m near the end of this draft of my novel and I’m reluctant to face the last few chapters. Why? Too much emotion!
You must write the emotional ending
It’s not fair to the reader to have his/her turn the page and read. “I woke up the next morning and thought about what happened last night.”
You [...]

Check Your Picture Book’s Story Arc

This entry is part 8 of 32 in the series 30 DAYS TO A STRONGER PICTURE BOOK For several years, this series on writing a picture book has been available free on this site. It’s now available altogether as a 110 page pdf file, How to Write a Children’s Picture Book.
You’ve written your picture book [...]

Revising the Outline

When do you start revising your novel? I start by revising the first draft of my novel’s plot outline, synopsis or treatment.
Revise Early and Late
As soon as I’ve written the first sketchy outlines of a novel, I’m revising. I’m looking for many things:

Does the climax resolve the setup?
Are the main characters together in [...]