MetroWest Writers’ Guild Workshop: How Internal Tension Moves Your Characters
Miss my tension workshop last Spring? I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be doing another one in April! This one for MetroWest Writers’ …
What Makes a Story Really Get Going?
C. L. Polk asked a fascinating question on Twitter: “What do you mean when you talk about the story getting moving? What’s …
Learning to Ask for Help with Writing
For years, I had this terrible tendency NOT to ask for help, as if someone else helping me meant the story was …
Questions for Identifying Reoccurring Motifs and Strengths
We talk all the time about how to shore up our weaknesses. That’s basically what getting a critique is all about! And …
A Musical Theory of Writing
When I think about my reader experience of a book, I think about music. Just as with music, when I read a …
Tied Up in Strings: How Internal Tension Moves Your Character
Imagine for a moment everything your character cares about—Love, Friendship, Family, Country, Ideals, Religion, Tradition, Self, and Things More Specific—as a string, …
Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Value of Positive Critique
Critique is the part where you tell an author everything they did wrong, right? Yes, absolutely! You need people who will tell …
How to Critique a Book
Critiquing a book isn’t so much about telling someone what they’re doing wrong, but helping them see their book better. This means …