Gross Anatomy of a Novel: Character

If you’re looking for the novel spotlight, you can find it (and many other fun features) on our newsletter. Be sure to sign up at aarongansky.com! Intro: What is Gross Anatomy of a Novel? In this series, we’re going to take a holistic look and approach to novel...

From the Vaults: 10 Tips for Naming Your Character

*ADDENDUM* The good people at EditionGuard.com put together a pretty fancy infographic, and were kind enough to ask me to include a link to it in this particular post. I’ve checked it out, and it’s got some good information that really supplements what we’re talking...

Juggling Multiple Plot Lines

NOVEL SPOTLIGHT (Pops): In 2011, Simon & Schuster published Stephen King’s 11/22/63. I received the book as a Christmas present from one of my sons-in-law. It’s weighty book, as King’s novels often are, of 850 pages or so. King has proven himself a master writer....

From the Vaults: The Mysterious Case of Show vs. Tell

This week Steve and I delve into the Mysterious Case of Show vs. Tell. Most writers can tell you what the difference is between the two, but there’s a fine art to balancing the level of detail in your book. When should you show? When should you tell? Here’s our take...

Feeding the Beast: Keeping Creativity Fed

Welcome back, loyal listeners! A quick disclaimer: we faced quite a few technical difficulties this week. The content is still top-notch, but the quality of recording was spotty (mainly on Aaron’s end at the beginning). Stick with us, though. The quality improves...

From the FiF Vault: Music to Write By

Due to yet another scheduling conflict, First in Fiction is taking a week off, but we’ll be back next week (and back on our normal every-other-Tuesday schedule). Until then, here’s an old post from a few years ago. Enjoy! This week we take a look at music and its role...