Privacy Policy
Tone is the overall feel of a story. Does this sound depressed, joyful, or hopeful? Beyond that, though, tone can determine the audience for your story. One of the main differences between a middle grade and YA, or a YA and an adult story, is the tone of the piece. Tone reflects the author’s attitude [...]
It seems like all I am doing is printing out my WIP right now. Of course. Revising a novel is always a circular process. Get it Right the First Time Some authors get it right the first time; others claim to get it right the first time. For experienced writers, who are used to editing, [...]
Where did July and August go? Computer Woes. First, my server has been wonky for the last two weeks–apologies. If you have any difficulty getting to pages, please send me an email so I can straighten it out (darcy at darcypattison dot com). Travel. For me, this summer included a great two-week trip to China. [...]
Working on a novel revision, I realize that I need to refocus the relationship between two characters. The question is where to start. Grand Entrance for Your Character I once heard the late Sid Fleischman talk about the importance of giving a character a Grand Entrance. Think about a stage play, where a character sweeps [...]
Begin at the Beginning Where to begin your novel, that is the question? When you write the first draft, you should jump in and get started. But when you revise your novel, you have a better chance of making the right choice. Connect the beginning and the end. Make sure the beginning sets up the [...]
Match Emotional Structure to the Novel’s Settings Always try to matching the setting to the emotional layers of your story. For example, the setting of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is a New England coastal village, appropriate for several reasons. It’s built on a solid cliff, like Turner’s life is built on the solid [...]
Privacy Policy