You’re sick of hearing “Show, don’t tell.” Got it. But then you’re told to use vivid descriptions and detail-rich settings to enrich your story. So how do you describe the world your character inhabits without “telling” about it? This is a constant balancing act, whether you’re writing space operas, historical fiction, a beach-themed romance, or…
Ah, yes—punctuation: The writing tool that grammar Nazis love to wield and many writers want to wish away. Trends English punctuation rules have largely remained the same over recent centuries, although punctuation does go through significant trends. For instance, during the 1600s most English writers used semicolons every time they wanted the reader to pause…
Last month I shared my anxiety over my latest WIP, which was due at the end of February and not going well. The book had serious problems and I was struggling with what to do about them. I concluded the post by saying since I couldn’t throw away two-thirds of what I’d written and start…
Story One: A writer pal is an established mystery writer. Established, award-winning mystery writer. Established, award-winning, and hard-working mystery writer. She recently finished a new mystery with a new character. She invested lots and lots of time writing this book, based on a highly original character (and job function). My friend is having a very…
Back in November, I was poised at the starting line of my first NanoWriMo. Time to finish that novel I’d been chipping away at for almost two years. Then came the dreaded e-mail: there had been a confirmed case of COVID-19 at my middle daughter’s elementary school. Her class would be quarantining until ten days…