The Irresistible Novel
Two or three times a week I get asked, “Where can I find a great book on editing?” I’m always flummoxed by that question. You see, I’ve read dozens of excellent books on editing, and I always have to stop and say, “First, you can’t read just one book on editing. If you really want to understand the controversies in English usage, you need to read all of them.”
Kill Your Darlings—Unless You Can Give Them Goals
We all have those scenes, right? We love ‘em, but they really don’t serve a justifiable purpose. I’ve had many, but am considering one I really loved; it lived in my notebook almost since the conception of my novel.
Don’t Know How to End Your Scene? Here’s Why.
Last month, I had a Real Life Diagnostic question on not knowing how to end the scene. Coincidentally, a few days after that, I ran into the same problem with my own WIP. Luckily, I knew right away what that meant.
Tangents and Subplots: When Do They Work?
Occasionally, I’ll receive questions about some of the elements on the list, like “what counts as character development?” I have no proof, but I suspect at least some of those questions come from writers who want to justify keeping a scene that might be borderline, such as filled with a backstory information dump. *smile*
Business of writing
Can authors compete with ‘non-competes’?
No publisher would agree, at an author’s request, to forgo publishing another author’s book on a particular subject. So why should an author assume a similar obligation? But it happens all the time.
Monday Musings: You Are Your Brand
When I received my college degree in journalism I thought I had a pretty good idea about what I wanted to do with my life. I’d had an internship the previous summer and was lucky enough to get a job via that opportunity. With my little Honda loaded down one hot June morning, I drove the long eight hours to my new home and job in Los Angeles.
I read a large number of blogs and sites every week and will be curating them here, on my blog. If you want to see my picks of the best articles each week, just subscribe below. You’ll get an email each weekend with a list of the fiction writing articles I found most interesting or useful.