You’ve got a great story idea, characters your readers will love, and a fantastic surprise twist. You can’t wait to start writing and lead your readers along the path of suspense that builds up to the big reveal at some point late in the story. Most of all, it tickles your stomach to think of […]
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, […]