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"Instruction"
We write, right? Go ahead and take a minute to think about why you write. Go ahead…
…got it? Good. I can guarantee you that absolutely no one answered that question with the answer, “Because I love to edit!” And yet, editing is as integral to the process of writing as are those blissful hours […]
Let’s just subtitle this post, “Reading With Your Writing Brain,” which might sound like fun (putting to use the sorts of things you’re learning; being the one to stand in judgment of what you read with a critical eye), but in fact can be an onerous proposition. Reading with your writing brain can truly interfere […]
A very brief post today to get a few links… well, linked.
First, going back to the conversation I had with David B. Coe, a gifted author and my friend, you can find the second installment of David’s insights over at sfnovelists.com. To catch up, here is the
Those of you who have kept an eye on my Reading List know that I am working my way through Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.” The book is part memoir, part love letter to his wife, and part father-child talk…
…if that father was the recovering alcoholic, back-from-the-front father with the […]
I struggled with how to frame this post, because the thing tumbling around my brain comes from a very specific sort of sentence I have had the misfortune to find in several places recently. I could have easily labeled this post, “Sentences I Will (Almost) Never Write,” but, after a paragraph, I would have done […]
Recently, I heard a quote (possibly in the Dan Wells 7-point plot videos I posted about here, and which was probably paraphrased when I heard it, and which I am going to paraphrase) that said if you get to a point in your story where you don’t know what to do, have someone burst through […]
Earlier this year, at BYU’s “Life, the Universe, and Everything” writers’ symposium, Dan Wells gave a presentation on a system for structuring/scaffolding a plot in 7 points. Thankfully (because it was very good), someone put together the videos of that presentation along with some of the slides from Dan’s powerpoint file.
You need […]
Do you ever notice how a good introduction always ends with the name of the person who is being introduced? You get all of the information about the person before you hear their name. Why? Because the name is a trigger, a signpost to the audience that the introduction is done and it’s time to […]
