How to Improve Our Story with Action Beats
For dialogue attribution, action beats are more flexible than dialogue tags for our writing, adding details to our story and immersing readers in the scene.
Pin ItWriting Craft Basics: How to Format Dialogue
We probably think we know everything about dialogue formatting already, but let’s make sure we know all there is to know before assuming.
Pin ItBuilding a Story: Chapters vs. Scenes
There’s no wrong way to get to “The End” when drafting our book. That includes how some think about chapters as they write and some think about scenes.
Pin ItCharacter Descriptions: Avoiding the Boring Stuff — Guest: Angela Ackerman
Character descriptions are often necessary in a story, but can be boring. Here’s Angela Ackerman’s 7 tips for how we can keep our character descriptions from slowing our story.
Pin ItHow Pacing Helps Readers Care about Our Characters
I never watched Game of Thrones but this past season is an excellent example of how pacing can affect character arcs and readers’ relationships to our characters.
Pin ItWorldbuilding Is for Every Story
Everyone understands what worldbuilding is for fantasy, science fiction, historical, etc., but what does worldbuilding mean for contemporary stories?
Pin ItWorldbuilding a Series: Writing without a Plan
Some writers plan their worldbuilding details in advance. Others…not so much. How can we worldbuild when we write a series by the seat of our pants?
Pin ItWorldbuilding: Your Story World’s History 101
Worldbuilding means we have to create the “rules” for our characters and their story world. How can we can develop our story’s world to make it feel real?
Pin ItComplex Story? Use a Crime Wall — Guest: Kitty The Retro-Writer
When we’re drafting or editing our story, we usually have to keep track characters, secrets, plots, research, and story bible details. But for complex stories, we might want to create a Writer Crime Wall.
Pin It5 Ways to Create Movie Magic in Your Writing — Guest: J. E. Martin
Ever notice how some stories transport you more immersively into the story world? Author coach J. E. Martin is sharing her 5-step plan to help our writing create a cinematic experience for our readers.
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