In our recent writers’ group meeting we discussed writing fiction and the fraught topic of outlining. Those of us who are pantsers wince when we hear the word: “outline”. Pantsers don’t do outlines; we write by the seat of our pants. We feel guilty about that, so we experiment with outlines ...
plotting fiction
Plotting Fiction: The Most Popular Posts This Year
Continuing with our yearly review, let’s look at the blog’s most popular posts for plotting fiction. Is plotting a challenge for you? I found plotting horrendous for years: I was convinced that I was a pantser (someone who writes by the seat of his pants)—I was someone who couldn’t ...
Fiction Writing: The Most Popular Posts This Year
The fiction writing posts on the blog were popular this year. Continuing with our annual review, let’s look at the most popular ones. Fiction writing: emotion, plotting, and suspense Plotting and suspense are challenges for many authors—and how do we create emotions readers can ...
Writing Fiction Made Easier: 2 Tips For Using Flashbacks
If you’re writing fiction, sooner or later someone will tell you that your flashbacks are unnecessary — they’re ruining your novel. That’s because your flashbacks bring your story to a halt. They kill the pace of your novel, and you lose readers. Readers just want to know what happens next. They ...
Plot Fiction: 5 Questions To Ask Before You Start Writing
Plotting fiction can be fun, but sometimes you need to take a leap of faith that you know enough about your plot and characters to start writing. The other day a writer friend said: “I hate plotting, but I can’t write until I know what I’m doing.” He’s been plotting his new novel for the past ...
