Writing Tips

Vital Organs Part 3: The Central Event

Rewriting and editing, Writing tips

The central event is the one event the book cannot do without; it is central to and creates the story. Without it, the book collapses like a house of cards.

Vital Organs Part 2: The Major Dramatic Question

Rewriting and editing, Writing tips

To develop your work and create a strong story structure, it is crucial to understand the major dramatic question that lies at the heart of your story.

Vital Organs Part 1: Story Essence

Rewriting and editing, Writing tips

Where does the real story lie? What is the essence of your tale? What are you really trying to say? What is it about?

Endings

Rewriting and editing, Writing tips

When you are crafting your ending, think about whether you have said what you wanted to say. Are there any loose ends? Are there story questions posed that aren’t answered?

Point of View Part 3: First or third? First and third?

Writing tips

The key to choosing point of view is understanding the relationship you want the reader to have with the characters and events of the story.

Point of View Part 2: Degrees of Distance

Writing tips

Varying point of view distance allows you to control the relationship between the reader and the story to evoke specific responses.

Point of View Part 1: Using multiple points of view

Writing tips

When you choose multiple points of view, be mindful of the types of relationships you are building between the reader and the characters, and their purpose.

Listening to the written word

Rewriting and editing, Writing tips

Listening to the written word helps us understand the effects we create through word choices. Read your own work aloud. Edit with your ears. You'll ‘hear’ things that you may not ‘see’ on the page.

The function and roles of subplots are important principles to understand, but there is no golden rule. That’s what makes the creative endeavour of writing fiction so alluring and at the same time so terrifying.

Scene and Summary

Writing tips

If scenes are the building blocks of story, summary is the mortar that holds the scenes together, and occasionally the keystone piece that supports the structure.

What Emojis Tell Us About Writing Good Dialogue

Rewriting and editing, Writing tips

Recently I’ve been prompted to consider why a fat, pink heart may say more to us than the word ‘love’ or ‘xx’, and what this tells us about writing good dialogue.