Show Don’t Tell: Stress
Whether you have an important test coming up, your boss asks you to do a big project at work, or you’re a teacher in any given week, we all experience… Show Don’t Tell: Stress
How to Write Dialogue
Authors often make the mistake of assuming that writing dialogue will be easy. You talk every day, how hard can it be to write someone speaking? But the truth is,… How to Write Dialogue
Show Don’t Tell: Grief
There are moments that the words don’t reach, there is suffering too terrible to name… This tear-jerking song from Hamilton is one of many examples of what it’s like for… Show Don’t Tell: Grief
Show Don’t Tell: Pain
It’s not easy to talk about or go through, but going through emotional or physical pain can be a significant part of what shapes our lives. Thinking back on your… Show Don’t Tell: Pain
Show Don’t Tell: Friendships
If you’ve ever taken a writing workshop class in your lifetime, you’ve likely heard your instructor smugly say the phrase, “Show, don’t tell,” as a general criticism of your writing.… Show Don’t Tell: Friendships
Genre Spotlight: Comic Books/Graphic Novels
BOOM! POW! SLAP! Reading a comic book is like reading a movie. You hear the words and their accompanying sounds, you see the scenes in vivid colors, you (the director)… Genre Spotlight: Comic Books/Graphic Novels
Writing Exercise: Point of View
Every person you come across in the world is utterly unique. They each have their own upbringings, experiences, public thoughts, private thoughts, fears, dreams, loves, and losses that work together… Writing Exercise: Point of View
Writing Exercises: Dialogue
Just like a fingerprint is utterly unique, so too is a person’s voice. Every person has a different accent, infliction, and diction. Some people say ‘um’ and ‘like’ too much.… Writing Exercises: Dialogue
Avoiding Adverbs
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… Avoiding Adverbs