It’s a pretty popular thing for accomplished writers to compile lists of rules* for writing fiction. This week, Steve and I tackle 10 of these rules as suggested by Elmore Leonard. Elmore Leonard cut his teeth writing westerns, but quickly moved on to crime novels. He wrote nearly two dozen novels (many of them best…
This week, Steve and I look at the importance of first lines in fiction. The information is largely taken and adapted from my book, Firsts in Fiction: First Lines. The first line of your novel is especially important for a few reasons. Firstly, you want to make sure you impress an editor. To maximize your…
This week Steve and I look at archetypes, how they can inform our story, and how to use them effectively without falling into stereotypical character and plot structures. To begin, we need to understand what an archetype is. Long story short, we can think of archetypes of as shapes that our characters and stories fill.
On this week’s Firsts in Fiction, Steve and I discuss the physicality, the biology, of our characters, and how that adds to their depth and history. Imagining your character’s physicality means thinking about more than their physical appearance alone. Yes, the color of their eyes and hair is important, but not as important as what…
In our third episode of Firsts in Fiction, Steve and I talk about how to construct characters from the ground up. Here’s a few ideas to help you pull your characters from the ether and rivet them together into unforgettable friends (or enemies). Special thanks to Nathan Sawaya for making such ridiculously awesome LEGO artwork….
Our second podcast focuses on how to start your book. While there are several methods, these are the points Steve and I highlighted.
Ever wonder where writers get their ideas? Maybe you’ve watched Under the Dome and thought, how did Stephen King come up with this? There are several answers, and they vary from author to author, though there are several commonalities.
This weekend, I had the chance to speak with a good writer friend of mine. While discussing our writing, the issue of passive voice surfaced (again). I know I’ve spoken about this before, but it’s been a while, and I thought it might be nice to touch on it again.
No reason to be ashamed here. We’ve all written them. While some of us are greater offenders than others, at some point, we’ve all over-written dialog tags. “Good morning!” he exclaimed wildly. “Good to see you,” he shouted excitedly.