Why does your protagonist shy away from military men? Why does your hero think all beautiful women are snobs? Why is your antagonist determined to destroy the protagonist’s career? The answers to these questions are motivations for your characters’ behavior. It’s what drives them to do things they otherwise wouldn’t do—often against common sense—therefore, we […]
The writing craft: drawing fiction from real life
Today we hear from writer Emilie Hendryx. Drawing from real life as a writer is not only helpful but also crucial in my opinion. What you draw out is what matters. Taking your cue from real life, use these three things to strengthen and enliven your fiction. 1) Motivation Read news stories or talk with […]
Better than a critique group…
Critique groups as currently practiced by many writers include sharing books, one chapter at a time, for comment and critique. I’ve done this before, and while it helped hone my line-editing skills, it did nothing to help me plot the book, a question which remained a puzzle for me for a long time. In addition, […]
Writers, how to make a great plot
If you hang out with other writers in critique groups, you may get lots of advice about the mechanics of good writing. Watch the passive voice. Use strong verbs rather than adverbs. Use the five senses in descriptions. And so on. But what about the overarching story? Are your critique partners watching that too? Often, […]