Monthly Archives: November 2011
Trusting Readers To Figure It Out
Once again a novelist, a person I respect, said in essence that intentionally incorporating a theme in fiction makes the story preachy. This position, while widely held by Christian authors, is far from the truth. Anyone who can remember back … Continue reading
Filed under Theme
Story Triage
Donald Maass put his finger on the twin beams upon which good stories are built — characters readers care about, acting in ways that generate tension. Writers who want to improve their novels would be wise to look at those two factors first before concerning themselves overly much with secondary elements. Continue reading
Filed under Characters, Story
Ideas
I’ve read my share of author interviews, and inevitably the question comes up: Where did you get your idea for your story? I used to think that was a question interviewers used because they couldn’t think of anything else. But … Continue reading
Filed under Concept And Development
Get It All Down
If nothing else, NaNoWriMo is a great motivator for writers to turn off the editing side of their brains and write. Rough drafts, after all, are supposed to be rough. Continue reading
Filed under Writing Process
