Writing Advice

When an important or dramatic moment happens to a character in a novel and you want it to land with power, it’s important to show their reaction. It helps the reader feel the events on the character’s behalf, and we learn a lot about the character based on how they react. But sometimes writers flub […]

We’ve been through a lot in the past few years, and I don’t know anyone who has experienced smooth sailing. I’ve heard from so many authors who have stalled out creatively and aren’t getting as much writing done as they would like. Here’s what I tell authors who want to get going: It’s just a […]

As Lincoln Michel recently pointed out in an excellent post, one of the great and magical capabilities of prose is to be able to speed up and slow down time. Years can pass in a flash, or you can dwell for pages on something that happens faster than the blink of an eye. Physical space […]

You’ve probably heard about raising the stakes, that important craft tool to deepen the reasons the events of the novel matter to your protagonist(s), and thus the reader. But what does it mean to “crystalize” the stakes? Crystalizing the stakes gets less attention, but it’s a powerful tool to focus the plot and evoke meaning […]

I’m still in January goal-setting mode, and my consultations with authors have been ramping up with the new year. One thing that’s been on my mind throughout these conversations: getting in tune with what really motivates us as writers. And that led me to athletes and artists. Athletes tend to have an external goal: winning. […]