I want to begin by asserting that it is not absolutely necessary that every writing session be focused on cranking out new words. There’s something to be said for creative play. Some of the greatest melodies of the twentieth century came from talented musicians noodling around on their guitars for an afternoon! However, if you’re up against a deadline or you’ve had several writing sessions in a row that you could call a wash, here are four ways you might be able to bribe yourself into creative focus and productivity.
Read MoreAsk the Editor: "Help! I have too many book ideas!"
Do you have too many book ideas and too little focus? How will you ever complete one project if these shiny, new concepts get in the way?
In this blog post, explore the pros and cons of being a multi-concept writer and learn four ways to work around this “good problem to have.”
Read MoreHow to Use All Five Senses—Not Just Sight and Sound—to Bring Three-Dimensional, Immersive Description to Your Book
We as novelists and memoirists, due to the nature of our medium, can manipulate more of the five senses than screenwriters can. There are three other senses we can take advantage of that haven't necessarily worked well for cinema before: smell, taste, and touch. Read on to learn more.
Read MoreCrafting a Tight, Compelling Memoir from Page One
This contrast between the broad strokes of an autobiography and the deep dive of a memoir is something that writers new to creative nonfiction struggle with. That said, I feel that it is an important difference to master in order to write a successful memoir.
Read MoreThe Top 5 Editorial Mistakes I’ve Seen… and How to Fix Them, Part 1 of 5.
If you’ve taken a creative writing workshop or even a high school composition course, you’ve likely heard the advice: “Show, don’t tell.”
When we’re writing fiction or creative non-fiction, we want to show instead of tell, which translates to telling our story through a series of interconnected scenes, instead of summarizing the events that happened.
If a character needs a raise to pay the rent, the writer shouldn’t explicitly state, “Bob needed a raise to pay his rent,” at least not without also providing supporting details. Instead, she may place an important conversation between Bob and his work best friend in a coffee shop, where Bob explains that he’s having his second triple latte of the day at 10:00 a.m. after pulling an all-nighter with the quarterly earnings report.
So, yes, “Show, don’t tell.” You know that intuitively. But I’m here to explain part of the “why” behind this age-old adage.
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