I saw a pin the other day that listed ten short writing tips and attributed it to a guy named Elmore Leonard. So I looked him up and his story checks out. In addition to selling tens of millions of copies of his novels and selling screenplays to a handful of successful Hollywood movies, he […]
Five Links Friday 5/19/17
It’s time again for Five Links Friday: The best articles I read about writing this week. Hope you enjoy! 1. Let’s start this week with ta quick post by Christopher Kokoski on The Fastest Way To Make All Your Descriptions Better. 2. Whoa. Here’s a post by Blake Atwood with some really interesting numbers, but […]
When Should You Use a Prologue?
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that seemingly everybody “in the know” says you should avoid using a prologue in your novel. I would tend to agree for a couple of reasons. First off, if you’re pitching a book to an agent who says “I don’t like to see a prologue” then you shouldn’t use one. […]
Five Links Friday 4/21/17
Happy Friday everybody! April is coming to a close and I am SO far behind on the writing goals I’ve set for the last couple of months, but one can expect that with a new baby in the house. Anyhow, lot’s of good things are on the horizon and everything will get back on track. […]
Podcast Episode 32 – Beginnings
In this episode of The Write Good Books Podcast, Jason and Scott discuss what makes the beginning of a story, what works, and what doesn’t. Click the link below to stream the episode. Also available at iTunes, Soundcloud, RSS and YouTube. About the hosts Jason Bougger lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his wife and kids. […]
Podcast Episode 31 – Pacing of a Story
In this episode of The Write Good Books Podcast, Jason and Scott look at pacing in novels and how it can help influence the reader’s enjoyment of a story. Click the link below to stream the episode. Also available at iTunes, Soundcloud, RSS and YouTube. About the hosts Jason Bougger lives in Omaha, Nebraska with […]
4 Reasons to avoid dream sequences
In a post last year I listed a few ways to not start your novel. The first thing I listed in that post was dream sequences. I’ll still argue that if you open your story or novel with a dream, you’d better have a darn good reason for it. (Disclaimer: one of my WIP novels […]
Five Links Friday 1/6/2017
Happy Friday everybody! It’s the first weekend of the new year, so let’s make it count. Here are the latest Five Links. 1. Let’s start with 9 Tips on How to Start a Story from the editors at Reedsy.com. 2. Writing for a living is everybody’s goal, right? Here is a piece on Paying Rent […]