Category Archives: Interior life; interiority

Backstory: Putting your world in context

Context = Clue Context gives us clues to the meaning of an unfamiliar word, the emotion behind a friend’s reaction, the point of a political slogan. The word “flag” can call several images to mind. But even if we’ve never … Continue reading

Posted in Advice, Backstory, Backstory, Craft of Writing, Description, Differentiating Characters, Editing, Interaction with Setting, Interior life; interiority, Words and Phrases, world-building, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Monday Advice from Editors and Agents: Three Tips for the Price of One

Today’s three tips provide some dead-on great advice about Your VOICE PITCHing your book STRIKING THE HEART of your reader The advice comes from Chris Keeslar, who’s been a leading industry professional for over 20 years. Keeslar started editing romance for Dorchester Publishing, where … Continue reading

Posted in Advice, Agent/Editor Pitch, Craft of Writing, Interior life; interiority, Motivation, Romance, Voice, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Words on Wednesday: The Emotion Thesaurus

Every good writer tries to “show not tell” character emotions. But even experienced authors may be limited in their familiarity with certain feelings. Extreme emotions such as anguish, desperation, paranoia, rage, and full-out terror may–thankfully–exist only in our fictional worlds. Enter the helpful … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Character arcs, Character-driven action, Characters, Conflict, Emotion Thesaurus, Interaction with Setting, Interior life; interiority, Motivation, Resources, Story Elements, Story ideas, Tips for Teen Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Monday Advice from Agents and Editors: Show me the reason why

Have you ever watched a really awful horror movie and wanted to scream at the protagonist–the one who chooses to go down alone into a dark cellar full of moaning and whimpering instead of calling 911–“Why on earth do you … Continue reading

Posted in Backstory, Character-driven action, Character-driven action, Characters, Foreshadowing, Interior life; interiority, Motivation, Swordfights, Writing, Young adults | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Build a Coming of Age Arc

Some of the most famous books ever written have been about finding oneself while on the journey to adulthood. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Giver by Lois Lowry A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Lord … Continue reading

Posted in Character arcs, Coming of Age stories, Coming of Age stories, Genre elements, Genre recipes, Interior life; interiority, Plotting, Young adults | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment