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 [...]

Plot: Characters v. Patterns

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series 9 Ways to Plot a NovelPlot: 9 Ways of Looking at Plot
I’ve been thinking about plot and looking through my library of writing books to see the big picture of how plot is discussed and taught, how writers approach plot. It seems to me that [...]

Strengthen Your Villain

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Villains to RememberYour 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 [...]

Villains to Imitate

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Villains to RememberGreat Villains to Study and Imitate
Harpercollins editor Susan Rich’s favorite villain are those in Roald Dahl’s stories. “I have great admiration for Roald Dahl’s villains. Farmer Boggis, Farmer Bounce, and Farmer Bean come to mind, the evil trio in Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. [...]

Villains Don’t Always Wear Black

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Villains to RememberEvil is live spelled backwards. The protagonist of a novel represents life; the villain, anti-life. How do you develop, strengthen and revise this important character?

Count Olaf as the Ultimate Villainous Character
Harpercollins editor Susan Rich, who edited the Lemony Snicket series of fiction [...]

A Year of Voice Descriptions

Before December 11, 2006, I wouldn’t have thought to describe a character’s voice. Then along came Vocal Impressions on National Public Radio. Wow! It’s evocative to describe a character’s voice, and if you use a metaphor that also evokes a character quality, you’re even farther along!
Raw Voice + Apt Metaphor = Characterization
From [...]