Conflict drives a good story. You can’t really tell a good tale without some kind of conflict in it. It doesn’t have to be a violent conflict. You can write a short story about two people trying to live their…
Blog Archives
Keeping A Journal
One of the best ways to practice the craft of writing is to maintain a journal. It’s a good way to develop the habit of writing on a daily basis, which you should do if you want to be a…
Tagged with: journal, journals, writing, writing exercise, writing practice, Writing Techniques
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
How many characters does a story need?
The answer is — it depends. It depends on the story itself. What are you trying to do. Are you writing a novel? Or a short story? In a short story, you can get by with a single character. Someone…
Tagged with: characters, fiction, fiction writing, plot development, short story, writing, Writing Techniques
Posted in Writing Techniques
Posted in Writing Techniques
Brainstorming
A brainstorm session is a good tool to generate ideas to write about. It can also be used to solve problems. In the case of fiction writers, it can also be used to generate problems for characters to get into.…
Tagged with: brainstorming, brainstorming rules, writing, Writing Techniques, Writing Tools
Posted in Writing Techniques
Posted in Writing Techniques
Mind Maps
A mind map is a brainstorming tool based on free association. Write down a word, set a timer, then write down all the words you associate with that first word. You can go on from there, by changing your focus…
Tagged with: brainstorming, Brainstorming techniques, mind maps, writing, Writing Techniques
Posted in Writing Techniques
Posted in Writing Techniques
The First Draft
The first draft of anything is never anything anyone would want to read. It can be choppy. It can be rambling, repetitive or have other issues. But it’s the first draft. Getting it done is what counts. What you do…
Tagged with: first draft, nanowrimo, revision, rough draft, Write, writing, writing technique
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
Word Choice
Word choice is important. As writers we write things. We build worlds, actions, and people using words as our building blocks. We build stories. To do that we need to use the right words. Words have meaning. They also have…
Prologues
A prologue is an introduction. It gives your readers information they might need in order to understand the action in a story. It’s an explanation for why the story events happen. It can also provide the reader with essential information…
Tagged with: prolog, prologs, prologue, prologues, writing, Writing Techniques
Posted in Writing Techniques
Posted in Writing Techniques
A Word About Subplots
A subplot is “a subordinate plot in fiction or drama” according to Merriam-Webster. But what does that mean? Well, it’s a story told alongside the main story in a novel or drama. Think of it as the story of what…
Tagged with: drama, Plot, Story, subplot, subplots, tension, writing, Writing Techniques
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
Meditation as a Brainstorming Tool
The fashion these days seems to be mindful in everything you do. Experts tell us to be mindful when we eat, when we exercise and when we do pretty much everything. As I said, it’s fashionable to be mindful.As fashions…
Tagged with: brainstorming, writing, writing techniques. meditaation, Writing Tools
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
Posted in General Opinion, Writing Techniques
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