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The Grand Scale of the Novel
It is easier to find an excuse than to find a way. Doubts and fears are often disguised in the form of alibis and it can gnaw on any artists, and writers are no exception. There is the fear of not being good enough, having...
Continuity of Scenes
Scenes can sometimes overlap to the next episode of the story. When this happens, regardless of how long or short you want your scene to be, it needs to have a goal and conflict. The conflict can serve as a cliffhanger that continues in the...
Writing That Will Never Get Done
Whenever I meet people and tell them I’m a writer, the most common reaction is to tell me that they wanted to become a writer or at least write something. But they would add that they do not have the time or they feel they...
Why Write?
It’s a question that has been asked many times, yet it continues to persist and it becomes hypothetical because writers know why they write. For the benefit of those who do not understand the nature of the writing vocation, I am throwing in my ten...
How Plotting Helped Me To Overcome Writer's Block
I have always been a pantser in that I tend to write the ideas as they pop into my head and worry about it making sense later. It worked for me in the past before I decided to take things seriously as a writer and...
Flashbacks and Insights
Many writers use italics for flashback and introspection, while others do not bother. This confuses the novice writer. As always, writing is an art that must never be confined in strict conformities. Flashbacks and insights are two different things. Flashback refers to an event in...
Authenticating Your Historical Fiction
How much research should go into your historical fiction in order to make it credible and authentic? Whether you are writing a short story or a novel, the research should be enough to make your reader feel transported to the time period. Yet how much...
Stories Must Begin With Action
You open your story with the protagonist sitting by the windowsill watching the clouds roll by, or standing on the rooftop looking below at the people walking past. This kind of opening does not offer any action or drama. The character is not doing anything...
Misconceptions About First Person Narration
Visit your local bookstore and sift through the titles of young adult fiction. It is surprising to see that a huge chunk of the YA market is written in the first person point of view. The first person narration conveys narration with optimum effect. Yet...
Character Development Through the Passage of Time
Character attitudes and sentiments must develop as the story progresses. Whether a character saturates the pages with his presence, or if he has disappeared for a few pages or more (even for a few hours), the character must exhibit something new or redescribed to align...