A common problem I see in contests or manuscripts I’m editing is that the narrative thread isn’t strong enough to pull us as readers through the story. Here are a few reasons why it fails. A series of events versus cause-and-effect events A plot is not just a series of events. That… Read More
Writing Craft
Tighten Up for the New Year: Avoid These Common Writing Mistakes
This is not a post about cats. Well, maybe it is. A little. I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen a cat with six-pack abs. Every cat I know has a soft, flabby belly. We had a cat growing up that we called Flabby Tabby. How does that relate to writing? I’ve been judging a lot of contests,… Read More
Setting and Storyworld
Story world Story world, quite simply, is the world your story takes place in. In Star Wars, it’s a galaxy far, far way. In my book, Coming Home, it’s 1881 Oregon. It can be as complex as an invented world or as simple as the street blocks between home and school. But a different story world will create a different… Read More