Hello Readers! If you missed the first article of this three-part series, check it out right here. The romance genre is unique in that writers follow a set of plot points and deep characterization to deliver an enticing story with an emotionally satisfying, happily ever after (HEA) ending. Let’s talk about how that is accomplished…. Read more »
Dear Editor, There’s something missing in my manuscript, and I can’t quite figure out what it is. But I know it’s missing. My beta-readers know it, too. I keep getting feedback that the pacing is off. I have tried outlining my story so that I know what’s there, but that’s not helping. What do I… Read more »
Fiction writers have been called many things, but to me “magician” seems the best description. They dip into the black hat of their imagination and produce an endless variety of characters, situations, images, genres, events, and styles. The effect on readers is nothing less than magical, the reader also becoming a magician and an important… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting David Corbett on the show! I know David as a highly sought-after instructor at ITW’s Master CraftFest and CraftFest, and it’s easy to see why as he is the award-winning author of six novels, the story collection Thirteen Confessions, and the writing guide The… Read more »
My next few articles will act as a deep dive into specific short form works. We’ll examine a piece from each short form and dive deep into its inner workings to find the path to success in our own short form pieces. Poets are alchemists. We transform the chaos of everyday life into sonnets and… Read more »
Halfway through our stories (literally, the 50% mark), something absolutely remarkable happens. As we read through Act II, we’re moving along, enjoying the new obstacles that challenge your protagonist when *cue whipping sound* something BIG happens. In his book Super Structure, multi-bestselling author James Scott Bell questioned if there really was anything “unique” about the… Read more »
From Agatha Christie to Alfred Hitchcock, plot twists have long been used to amuse and amaze us. But they’ve become so pervasive in recent fiction—especially in crime, thriller, and mystery novels—that readers have come not just to expect plot twists, but tire of them. Indeed, many twists these days are predictable, poorly structured, or simply… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure and honor of hosting David Morrell on the show! David is the bestselling author of numerous books including First Blood, the award-winning novel in which Rambo was created, and the classic spy novel, The Brotherhood of the Rose, which was the basis for the only television… Read more »
Last time on Speculations, we looked at your writing process and possible ways to improve it. This time around, I want to focus on where you ply your craft. It can have more of an impact than you think. A room of one’s own, literal or metaphorical, is critical to every writer’s success. Just like… Read more »
Many—perhaps most—people on social media try to build their platform by posting, posting, posting. But being truly social requires a bit more than this. Like in any relationship, building a social media platform requires engagement both ways. Social media is more than a megaphone. There are hundreds of conversations going on out there all the… Read more »
