When it comes to writing fiction, interesting characters are essential to a book that will keep readers engaged. Here are some tips for writing interesting characters that apply across all genres and story types. 1.) Direct vs Indirect There are…
When you write your first draft, you picture the words pouring out of you onto the page in profound perfection. You picture emulating your writing idols, crafting a seamless plot with lots of twists and turns along the way. You envision a story that…
Sometimes stories can come to us in a very fantastical form. One minute we’re sitting at our favorite indie dive bar, catching up with a friend, then all of a sudden we’re transported to a fantasy world. Perhaps it’s the way the light glinted…
One common writing mistake is having your character attach only one emotion to an action, reaction, or event. Your protagonist’s friend leaving makes him sad, your protagonist’s Mom scolding him makes him angry, your protagonist’s sibling…
When we think of the word ‘villain’ it conjures up an image of maniacal laughter, sparks flying off of enormous machines, mad scientist clothing, and world domination plots. But, really, being a villain simply means being the antagonist to the…
As writers, our number one goal at all times is to further character development in our stories. This focus is fantastic, but it can cause us to overlook other aspects of storytelling like objects and scenery. Well, what if we told you that you can…
We’re sure you’ve heard the expression which came first, the chicken or the egg? When it comes to writing, the chicken is the character and the egg is the plot. And, though novice writers may treat it like a riddle, there is a clear answer:…
All writers know that moment- that gorgeous ‘aha’ moment when a fantastic idea comes their way. We all know that hurried way we reach to our notebooks (or even our phones) and vigorously jot down everything we can before it slips away. And we…
Adverbs are like sweets: they’re fine in small quantities, but large quantities can be very bad for you (and your writing). Oftentimes, adverbs are used by novice writers to avoid doing the real work behind crafting a captivating sentence. Because…
How do we get to know people? It’s a pretty big question, that’s for sure…but when it comes to writing characters, you have to get to know them the same way you’d get to know a real person. Our characters have to feel real, so therefore they…
