You see, most writers fall into one of two groups: either they hate writing dialogue and try to avoid it as much as humanly possible or they love writing dialogue and fill their entire novel with mostly useless exchanges. But there’s a third group that few writers join. It’s the group...
It will not appeal to everybody because I know that there are those out there who feel they have a good grasp of the craft of novel writing already. There is for example one writer I know who writes a novel by perfecting it one chapter at a time, and then feels there is no need ...
The above example is an effective illustration of using mid-dialogue action to heighten tension in a scene quickly. Actions can support the mood and tone of a scene – for example, affectionate words between lovers – but they’re equally useful for sending the scene veering off into unexpecte...
Formatting Dialogue A reader has a question about formatting dialogue in a novel: I have some confusion regarding speakers when writing dialog, and when you should start new lines. The logic I remember being taught is that every time the speaker changes in a story we should start a new parag...
Dialogue Writing Tips The most common way to indicate a new speaker’s dialogue is to start a new paragraph.Here is an example from my novel Touched:Rashan slouched into a nearby folding chair, not bothering to get one for Georgia. He moved a few braids from his forehead, but they fell...
Whatever you write: blog posts, short stories, client pieces – I suspect that, at some point, you’ve at least considered writing a novel.
for the right reasons, so while it may not be “perfect” at the time I always viewed us as being one step closer to our goals in life. As such, after the move, just like before the move, I always try to maintain a positive attitude and help family members find the good in the ...
Writing without stopping – experiment with the next novel with a little light editing to begin each writing session Different technologies for writing – Word, using Scrivener for plotting, writing by hand with a fountain pen Touch typing
Image of Joseph Heller’s novel outline for Catch-22 via Reedsy 2. Focus on a few story elements at a time The word ‘template’ (in its ‘writing tool’ sense) literally means ‘something that serves as a model for others to copy.’ The problem with ‘copying’ is that each write...
1. Get Ready for Years of Revisions You’ve no doubt encounteredthe myth that great writing comes from artistic geniuseswith inborn talent. According to this myth, you don’t have to take any classes on fiction writing; just put pen to paper and pour your heart out. Then you only have ...