Melodrama tends to get a bad rep these days, and not without good reason. Certainly, melodrama – that is, sensational drama; exaggerated, flat characters; farcically exciting events; and extreme responses and actions – can often come at the expense of those other aspects of fiction that make your book worth reading: deep characters, subtext, complex …
The Author’s Guide To Melodrama (And What It Can Do For You) Read More »
Have you ever read a book where every character – from the six-year-old in pigtails to the wizened sea captain to the stripper – sounds the same? It’s easy for authors to stumble into this mono-tone pitfall. The task of writing a story is already monumental, and adopting a narrative voice appropriate to the story …
How To Make Sure Your Characters Don’t Speak In The Same Voice Read More »
The beginning and the end. More writers have had more aneurysms over bookending their stories and sections than just about anything else. We recently covered the Dreaded First Line; today I’d like to tackle the Dreaded Last Line(s)… of each scene. Whether it’s writing too little or too much, authors of every stripe tend to …
The Better Way To End Your Scene (With Exercises) Read More »
Many writers, particularly if they’re writing fantasy, YA, or sci-fi, like to spice up their stories with the occasional song and poem. Maybe they’re trying to aid characterization with some soulful poetry, share exposition through a traditional ballad, or just make their world feel a little more real. Done well, such embedded works can bring …
Including Original Poetry And Song In Your Fiction (What You Need To Know) Read More »
