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Showing posts 1 to 10 labeled Process (10 total)

Besting Burnout (December 11, 2016)

If you do nothing but glue your behind to a chair and crank out words every day, you'll quickly run out of thoughts worth writing. And eventually, you're going to burn out. More »

Writing What You Think You're Writing (November 11, 2016)

Writers who rely on telling aren't writing what they think they're writing. More »

The Benefits of Outlining (February 20, 2016)

Writers have intense feelings about outlining. Some love it and actively advocate for it, while others despise it with a startling passion. To me, outlining is like exercising. I don't love or hate exercising; it's simply something I must do to stay healthy. I don't love or hate outlining, either; it's simply something I must do to write good stories. More »

The Hero's Journey (November 7, 2015)

If you're not familiar with The Hero's Journey, a.k.a. the Monomyth, it's a model of a common narrative arc found in myths and fairy tales across world cultures. More »

The Fear of Breaking Things (September 21, 2015)

If you're afraid of breaking things, it's impossible to become a good programmer. The same can be said of writers. More »

"Realistic" Characters: Individuals or Stereotypes? (June 23, 2014)

As novelists, we see our characters as individuals. We spend years (or at least months) with them, developing their histories and personalities. We give them unique worldviews, unique tastes and hobbies, unique voices. We treat them like real people with real minds. More »

Weak Endings: Why You Write Them, How to Avoid Them (June 13, 2014)

There are several reasons that weak endings are so common in literature, popular or otherwise. More »

Tips for Writing Descriptions (March 15, 2014)

Here are some tips for writing descriptions that I wish someone had given me before I wasted five manuscripts figuring them out. More »

Beta Reading, or, I'm Dumber Than I Think (December 21, 2011)

I consider myself a pretty smart person. I can spell most words I know without looking them up. I'm mildly proficient in three or four different (though all C-based) programming languages. Free tests around the Internet tell me I have an IQ in the 140s because I can unscramble words and perform basic math. More »

An Ounce of Prevention (December 16, 2011)

A lot of people participated in the writing marathon in November dubbed NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The "challenge" is to write a 50,000 word book in one fell blow—no stopping to think or edit, no catering to your daily moods, just devoting yourself to putting words on the page each evening no matter what. More »