writing strategies

Writing Fiction: One Simple, Essential Element You May Be Missing

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In a recent writers’ group meeting, we discussed writing fiction, as we often do. A topic came up which intrigued me. I know that I often overlook this simple, but very important element. Writing fiction: is your novel or short story unbalanced? One writer in the group said: “I want to talk about pacing. I’m … Read more

Writing Fiction: Plot Your Big Scenes First To Make Plotting Easier

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If you’re writing fiction, you’ll struggle with translating the story in your head onto the page. Use scenes to make this process easier. You may be wondering… What’s a scene? In brief, a scene is action, which happens in real time, on the page. A scene is showing the reader, rather than telling him. Much … Read more

Write Fiction With Obsidian: Track Characters, Places, And Your Plot

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Do you write fiction? If you do, you know that there are 1001 (and more) things you need to remember. Not only character names, but their personalities, their histories, and how they fit into your plot. Or how they create your plot. Over the years, I’ve used software and various writing apps to track all … Read more

Writing a Novel: Begin It With A Bullet Or A Sunrise?

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Writing a Novel: Begin It With A Bullet Or A Sunrise?

When you’re writing a novel, do you begin at the beginning? We discussed our favorite strategies for starting a novel at a recent writers’ group meeting. Most authors in the group said they write chronologically: they began at the beginning and write to the end. Several authors however wrote according to their inspiration. “Stepping stones,” … Read more

Writing Challenges: 4 Easy Tricks To Overcome Them

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Writing Challenges: 4 Easy Tricks To Overcome Them

In one of our online writers’ group meetings, we discussed writing challenges. When you strike problems with a piece of writing it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and procrastinate. Alternatively, you might give up completely. Several authors admitted that they had unfinished books littering their computer hard drives. Does this sound like you? How to overcome … Read more

Writer’s Block: 3 Strategies If You Can’t Write

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Writer's Block: 3 Strategies If You Can’t Write

At a recent writer’s group meeting, we discussed writer’s block. This affliction is real. It can paralyze you. Almost everyone in our group has suffered from it, so we discussed useful tools and strategies to help us to manage it in the future. If you’re dealing with it right now, ask yourself whether you can … Read more