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What the Heck is a Character Arc?
One of the fundamental things that you should understand to help you write a great story is the character arc. The term character arc embodies all of the internal changes that the character goes through as a result of the story’s actions. Many novice writers and even published genre novelists leave this out, but I believe that it is crucial and helps to take your story to the next level. Do I Really Need a Character Arc? Although it is quite possible to write a story without a character arc, I would advise against it. The character arc is one of those things that satisfy the reader on a deeper…
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A Plot is a Plot is a Plot
Fail to plot, plot to fail. If structure is the thing that gives substance to your story, then plot is structure’s show-off fraternal twin. The two are tied together (conjoined twins, maybe?). Plot consists of all of the happenings in your story; the things that take your inciting incident all the way to your resolution. The defining factor of what is plot and what is filler is cause and effect. Plot is Propelled by Cause and Effect Each scene should have a cause, and each scene should have an effect. This is what propels your story forward. If you have a scene that has no story cause and has no…
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Scenes, Scenes, Wonderful Scenes!
The scene is the building block of fiction. Once upon a time, a novel might contain a lengthy description of a field, several flashbacks, and lots and lots of telling. Those days are gone. We’ve become a cinematic society. Scenes speak to us. Pretty words are all well and good, and I do enjoy them myself, but not when they put the story on hold. Not when they bore me. Scenes move the story forward, keep your reader turning the pages, keep them on the edge of their…well, you get it. As Ansen Dibell puts it in her wonderful craft book, Plot: “Creating scenes means finding ways for your story…
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A Gentle Introduction to Story Structure
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A Gentle Introduction to Story Structure
Structure is foundational to telling a good story. Although the two elements do go hand in hand, plot is not the same as structure. You can think of it like the layers of a quilt. You’ve got the colorful outside fabrics and the patterns that make people say ‘that’s a beautiful quilt. ’ That would be the plot. Then, you have the fluffy white batting that fills the quilt. This is stuff that nobody sees in the final quilt and that only fellow-quiltmakers probably ever think about, but if you didn’t have that batting, your quilt would not be functional. It would only be two floppy pieces of fabric attached…
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Scenes, Scenes, Wonderful Scenes!
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Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?
Do you have a solid idea of what you will be writing when you sit down? Have you spent oodles of time thinking about it, writing ‘off the page’? Or do you have a solid structure in place? Are You a Plotter or a Pantser? I can type until the end of time about the strengths and weaknesses of plotting versus pantsing. That’s been done to death. So I’ll just give you a short overview. Basically, plotting means that you have your structure all mapped out. You know what your Main Character will be doing in this scene and the next and the next. J.K Rowling is a plotter. Pantsers…
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Six Ways to Prioritize and Find Time to Write
Time is the world’s most finite resource. Nobody’s making any more of it. I struggle with time, always finding there is never enough of it. If you want to write, you need to make writing a priority and you need to allocate time for it. There are, however, limited things that you can do because nobody has yet figured out how to stretch time. I dream of an app that will stop time so that I can get everything done, alas, to no avail. So I have provided you with seven ways to find time to write. Find Time to Write by Getting Up Early If you’re naturally an early…
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Why You Should Never Edit as You Write
Are you frazzled whenever you sit down to write? Frustrated? Ready to give up? Do you sit, thesaurus in hand, pondering the exact word to describe what you are trying to say? Are you vexed between the choices? Can you not decide whether your heroine’s eyes should be cerulean blue or azure? Please don’t. You should never edit as you write. Editing While You Write Conflicts with How the Brain Works One part of your brain is dominant while you write, and a different part is dominant while you edit. When you stop to examine what you’ve written, or to find exactly the correct word, you move from the creative…
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Seven Simple Ways to Make Your Writing Rock
Make your writing rock with these seven simple techniques, perfect for the beginning writer! Make Your Writing Rock with Powerful Verbs Strong verbs are a core asset that belong in every writer’s toolbox, and they can make the difference between a ho-hum piece of writing and something that is much more engaging. Take a look at this: Mary walked down the street. -or- Mary strutted down the street. -or- Mary traipsed down the street. Just that one word gives a whole different tone to the sentence and engages the reader on a higher level. Fear not, you don’t have to spend minutes each writing session, thesaurus in hand, seeking the…
