Particularly when you’ve reached the messy middle of writing a novel, it can feel like you are keeping a bunch of plates spinning while balanced on a tightrope over the Grand Canyon. It’s hard to keep your whole novel in your head and keep things making sense as you careen toward the climax. As a […]
Writing Advice
Don’t build scenes around the information you think you need to impart
One of the surest ways to write a lifeless scene is to think primarily in terms of the information you need to impart to the reader. Good scenes in novels are active. They’re centered on characters who are doing something, whether that’s trying to accomplish a goal or even simply trying to figure something out. […]
Don’t count on agents and publishers to polish your diamond in the rough
Some authors have heard that agents engage in pre-submission editing prior to submitting to publishers. Failing that, they know that editing is literally in an editor’s job title. So if you just have a great idea for a book, an agent and editor will help you polish it up into something publishable, right? Don’t count […]
What happens on and off the page in your novel?
I’ve been re-watching Seinfeld sporadically this summer, and I’ve been struck by how many classic moments in the show involve the core characters recapping events that have already happened. Elaine talking about running into John F. Kennedy Jr. at the gym, Kramer recounting seeing the pig man, George’s “the sea was angry that day, my […]
Novel revision checklist
Whether you’re pursuing traditional or self-publishing, self-editing is one of the most crucial skills any writer can possess. It’s not an exaggeration to say that novels are made or broken by the revision process. But it’s very difficult to see your work objectively, and novels are wondrously complex. I find it helpful to be systematic […]
Avoid aimless stage direction
It’s a great impulse to physically describe characters and their movements, and too many writers neglect it. Over-reliance on dialogue is a rampant problem among aspiring writers, so introducing some physicality is important. But what physical description is the right physical description? Sometimes writers correct too much in the other direction: they include a lot […]
