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Writing Stuff

What Do You Want to Write But Haven’t Yet?

Dandelion seeds blowing away with text: Insights from the Story Seeds We *Don't* Write

We often have more ideas for stories than we actually write, and somehow, we choose and prioritize. Why might we not write a story idea that we’re passionate about—and is there anything we can do to overcome those reasons?

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September 13, 2018

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Can TV Shows Help Us Hook Our Readers?

Apple on books with text: Deepen Your Craft with Resident Writing Coach Jami Gold (at Writers Helping Writers)

It’s time for another post as a Resident Writing Coach over at Writers Helping Writers, and this time we’re talking about the lessons we can learn from TV writing that might help us with scene and chapter hooks.

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September 11, 2018

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What Does It Mean to Create Layered Characters?

Slice of onion with text: Revealing Layers of Our Characters

In the writing world, we’ve probably heard the advice to create layers in our stories and characters. But the word layers can refer to many different aspects of writing, so let’s take a deeper look at one aspect of layering: character layers.

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September 4, 2018

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Showing vs. Telling: The Power of Context

Man's head down on a table with text: Sleepy? Or Depressed? Showing Needs Context

The implication of the advice to “show, don’t tell” is that showing is “better” than telling when our story actually needs both. Let’s explore what “show, don’t tell” really means when it comes to storytelling.

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August 16, 2018

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Beyond Visuals: How to “Show” with Other Senses

Two women walking blindfolded with text: Beyond the Limits of Visual Cues

The word showing obviously makes us think visually, but same as us, our characters experience the world through more than just their visual sense. What are our options for showing beyond visual descriptions? Can we create a deeper world by engaging other senses?

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August 14, 2018

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Showing vs. Telling: Don’t Assume Showing Is Better

Stacks of Lego blocks with text: Worldbuilding: When Telling Is Required

In the writing world, we often hear the advice to “show, don’t tell.” I’ve mentioned before that telling isn’t bad or something to be avoided at all costs, and a fantastic post by Cecilia Tan points out how the advice can actually be harmful.

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August 9, 2018

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