Practical Magic: Voice in Character Creation

You’ve done it. Developed a writing voice distinctly your own. Readers can clearly hear YOU in your articles, essays, and poems. Congrats! But what about your fiction? If you’re like me, the trick of bringing that voice to fiction, and writing believable characters—with their own voices—is not so clear. In my first article on voice,… Read more »

Doorway of No Return #1 — Signpost Scene #5

Here we go again! Week #5 of James Scott Bell’s 14 signpost scenes, and I promise that you’re in for a big one. Why? Because signpost #5, otherwise known as The Doorway of No Return #1 (The Point of No Return, abbreviated PONR), is one of the three massive, explosive, impossible-to-write-a-story-without plot points. If you’re… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Steps to Craft Your Creative Narrative

People love a good story, because telling stories is how we share our experiences with others. A well-formed story explains the complex simply so that it will stick with the reader or listener. For a creative, telling the narrative of how and why your creations come about, will not only focus yourself but also inspire… Read more »

The Opposite is Possible Theory of Character Development

Here’s a secret writing exercise I only recently learned: If you want characters to feel real for the reader, you have to hint they have the potential to be the opposite of what they appear. Wait, what? The opposite of what the character seems . . . wouldn’t that mean the character is acting out… Read more »

Episode 217: Write Dangerously — Interview with Yang Huang

Hey there word nerds! Today I am delighted to have Yang Huang on the show! Yang is an author and former engineer. She grew up in China’s Jiangsu province where she  participated in the 1989 student uprisings, and moved to the U.S. to attend Boston College. Her debut novel, Living Treasures, won the Nautilus Book… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Self Care Tips to Improve Your Writing Process

Writing is hard.  Not just in craft, but in practice. As writers, we must take great care of ourselves to produce our best work. While at first, the connection between our self-care and writing might not seem obvious, consider trying to show up to the page tired, hungry or aggravated with life.  While conditions cannot… Read more »