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What to Tell
Last time, I began (what is shaping up to be) a lengthy discussion on showing and telling. I introduced Peter Rock’s essay “The Telling that Shows” as the piece that ended my own confusion surrounding this topic, as well as the method of writing a planning script to help me utilize both concepts in my…
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Why Writers Should Show AND Tell
Show, don’t tell. Personally, I kinda hate this phrase.
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To the Capital [Script]
(Night on the train. Low, rhythmic clatter of wheels. Moonlight peeks in through the window of the compartment. Silas sits on the bed, his back against the wall of the car. His eyes are closed, taking in the silence.)
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How Do I…? Paragraphs
We all know what paragraphs are, and those of us who’ve been through school know how they are used in academic essays, letters, and business contexts. But when it comes to creative writing, so many beginners have no idea what to do. During my years working as a tutor, I encountered several personal and narrative…
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My Process
When I wrote this post seven years ago, I began by stating that most of my writing happens on the computer. That’s the way it was when I first started. Word processors have remained a vital tool ever since.
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Active and Reactive Decisions
One of the key functions of a protagonist is to drive the story forward. Her decisions are the ones that matter the most, since they are what moves the plot along. At least, that’s what we’re taught.
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My Writing Style
For as long as I’ve been submitting my work for peer review — both through writers’ forums and as part of creative writing classes — I’ve encountered two main types of helpful critique. One type are people pointing out legitimate problems with the draft. The second type are insistences where the critiquer disagrees with the…
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How Do I…? Thoughts
It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these craft posts. This time, I want answer a question I’ve encountered numerous times. How do you format a characters’ thoughts? How do you incorporate them into your story?
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The Writer’s Mindset
Weeks ago, I was doing some housekeeping on my computer — cleaning out old files, archiving things on an external hard drive, those sorts of things. In the process, I came across the fragments of a project that I had planned to help me in my day job. It’s a project that will never come…
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Stop Trying to be Unique
Everyone wants to be special. We believe that, if we’re special, then no one can replace us. If we become irreplaceable, then we’re guaranteed love and acceptance — or at least sympathy and attention.