On Writing: Evoking the Right Emotion
One of the first decisions to make about a book, when the very first sliver of an idea begins to form is: What emotional reaction do I want my reader to walk away with? For me, this is one of the most...
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On Writing: Layered Characters
I thought I’d talk a little bit about revealing character versus having a character growth arc. I think, especially for middle grade and YA books, characters aren’t going to always have a huge growth...
View ArticleOn Writing: The Basics: Plots–Getting Started
So this week I’ll be talking about the writing basics–plot, character, conflict, and stakes. Again, this is all stuff I look at and try to work out in the pre-writing stage, so it’s fair game if you’re...
View ArticleOn Writing: The Basics–Plotting: Baby Steps
Okay, so let’s say you’ve figured out—kind of—what your characters motivations and desires. You even have a pretty good idea as to what is standing in their way—a bad guy, a raging storm, a stalking...
View ArticleOn Writing: The Basics–Speaking of Conflict
Conflict drives the story. It’s pretty much that simple. If you don’t have conflict on some level, you don’t have a story. The good news is, conflict comes in many shapes and sizes, flavors and colors....
View ArticleOn Writing: The Basics–Now Make It Worse
Let’s say you’ve spent some time and come up with this perfect conflict for your character. There is even something at stake if she fails. Go you! Now think of a way to make it worse. Seriously. I had...
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On Writing: Arcs
Okay, I’m going to get all math-ish on you here, but bear with me a moment. And I say this as a person who hated geometry. (I liked algebra because it mimics life–in life we are always trying to solve...
View ArticleOn Writing: Managing a Cast of Thousands
Someday, I will write a book that does NOT have a cast of thousands. Some day. But for now, that seems to dog me with every book I write. Here then, is a trick I devised to not only help me keep track...
View ArticleOn Writing: What’s In A Name?
For me, naming is a huge part of character. In fact, I cannot get very far in a novel until I have the correct name. I can be brainstorming and jotting down plot notes and some basic character...
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Pre Writing Step #3: Structure—Creating the Foundation
Even though I still consider myself to be in the pre-writing phase, the next thing I need to do is to create a foundation that will support the shape and heft of the book. I know that might seem like...
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