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This month, I am trying to Think Like a Writer and write 750 words a day, practicing my writing, much like a musician plays scales daily. When you introduce a character, do you say something like this? John Doe, age 37, trotted down the street. The question is how old is the character and how [...]
The Think Like a Writer series continues here with an exhortation to continue thinking in sensory details, the basic exercise of any writer. Today, think about how a person moves as a way to characterize him or her. Action and Metaphors of Action She is as lithe as a jaguar. That simile evokes a certain [...]
Setting: “Where am I? And why should I care?” Readers ask these two questions at the beginning of every story. We often focus on the second question, how to hook a reader. But orienting the reader is just as important. They need to know the setting: this is a wider question than just the geographic [...]
Mini-Conflicts Help Characters Stand Out For my WIP, I’m spending the week fleshing out characters. I”ve written about characters many times. Here’s a Character Checklist, and 15 Days to a Stronger Character, and many other posts on character. At this stage in character development, I’m mostly concerned with creating an interesting mix. For this story, [...]
Are you in Pain? Question for your character. So, I’m sitting at the hosptial, waiting for my husband to follow in Harry Smith’s footsteps and get the Couric Procedure (screening colonoscopy). Every wall has a sign asking, “Are you in pain? 0 No Pain/Happy face
Character Checklist PLEASE ReTWEET! See also: 15 Days to a Stronger Character Latest post on Characters: 3 Types of Character Arcs: Choosing the Best for your Novel EXTERNALS Name or Nickname: Does the character’s name evoke something about him or her? Does it resonate in the story? Character Roles and Jobs. Have you fully explored [...]
Your villain can be strengthened in several ways. Wait. Do you HAVE a villain, don’t you? Do you need a villain? One question I often hear is, “Do I really need an antagonist/villain” Usually, these writers have the main character struggling against something like a storm, or an evil empire, or something more abstract. In [...]
You need tips on “how to write a novel” or “how to revise a novel.” Start here with ideas on how to strengthen your characters. Then read the companion series, Novel Diagnosis and 30 Days to a Stronger NOVEL. 15 Days to Stronger Characters (This was 30 days, but it’s been condensed to 15.) Characterization [...]
This is part of a series, 15 Days to a Stronger Character Names and Nicknames: Echo Character Traits Let’s start with the basics. What do you call this character? What difference does a name make to effective characterization? I recently heard of an inner city family whose oldest child is named Chris and the second [...]
5 Days on Psychology of Revising For six years, I’ve taught the Novel Revision Retreat across the country and I’ve thought a lot about the psychological issues that writers face as they face the work of revising a novel. It’s interesting that most psychological discussions of writing involve writer’s block. Not much discussion of everyday [...]
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