Episodit
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Stephen King is a powerful storyteller, of course, and he is also a highly-skilled sentence-by-sentence writer. Here are his tips on writing dialogue, plus thoughts from me about making our characters' dialogue riveting.
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Readers love first person novels, where the hero talks directly to the reader. Here are some techniques for first person writing. Also, famous novelists reveal the books that made them want to be writers.
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Usually I talk about writing techniques but here are some living techniques for us writers. And some famous writers' favorite writers and novels. Plus: what Ernest Hemingway did when he was stuck. Also: the magic of avoiding dialogue tag modifiers. And Snoopy.
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How can an injury be good for us writers? It was for Roald Dahl. And here are Strunk and White's twenty-one rules of writing. Also, Stephen King on descriptions. And several famous setting descriptions, settings so good they are magical. Plus, Toni Morrison reveals how she works.
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A strong way to make a character likeable, and to have the reader root for her, is to have the character experience "otherness." She's out of place. She doesn't fit. Here are techniques on how to do so. Also, how F. Scott Fitzgerald worked. And, no whining.
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Contrast is among the strongest tools we writers can use. It's magic. Here is a discussion of how and where to use contrast. Also, Henry Miller's rules of writing and how John Grisham works.
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In our novel should we leave plot questions unanswered so we have compelling questions for a sequel? Here are thoughts on how we can approach it. Also, Hilary Mantel's ten rules of writing, how Anne Rice worked, and techniques for writing in the active voice.
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Classic novelists knew the strong technique regarding plotting and it's a terrific lesson for us: go big or go home. And what if we want to ignore a proven technique? And: thoughts on a character's stream of consciousness thinking. Also, how to avoid overthinking our writing project.
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When can a book coach help us and when can a coach not help us? Here are thoughts on book coaches. Also, the master George Orwell on describing a character. Plus, improving our sentence-by-sentence writing by 1) showing, 2) offering details, and 3) avoiding summary words: three big techniques in one.
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Sometimes we don't need to use the standard and strong writing technique, and we can deviate from the proven technique. When? We'll talk about it here. And here are some fun writing quotes. Also, an example of how interior monologue deadens a scene, and how to change it to a scene that will engage and entertain the reader.
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Blake Snyder's famous Save the Cat plotting--where he describes fifteen beats a movie screenplay should have--is useful for us novelists. And wonderful setting descriptions from Willa Cather. Also, what's wrong with this sentence: He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion? And Neil Gaiman's eight rules of writing.
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How can we submit a manuscript that meets the industry's format expectations and so avoids an amateurish look? Here's how to do it. Also, how the best-selling novelist Elin Hilderbrand live and work? And a few comments on pumping up our creativity.
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We aren't villains, and we likely don't have the background and personality of a villain. How can we get inside the mind of a villain for our story, so the villain engages the reader? Here are techniques to do so. Also, big and small things in a novel should be foreshadowed. I'll mention why and how to use foreshadowing to give clues and red herrings to the reader, focusing on small things we might otherwise forget to tie up. Also, here are my favorite funny titles of novels.
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Sometimes new writers have a strong plot idea and they begin writing without learning much about fiction writing. Here are the ten most common mistakes new writers make, mistakes that are often prospect killers. Also, how does Kristen Hannah work? And: maybe the best way to learn how to write a novel.
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