Quick Tips #11: Pantsing vs. Plotting: which is better?

A panster tends to write their way into a story, without planning the plot in advance. A plotter does the opposite. They like to plan, then write to that plan. Neither method is better or worse; both have their benefits and pitfalls. Pantsing can open writers up to a wild creativity that advance plotting might…

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Quick Tips #10: What writing advice should I listen to?

I was given an invaluable piece of writing advice some time ago that was infinitely more helpful than any “how-to” article or writing course. Back then, I was at a point where writing was becoming more of a pressure than a pleasure; something to work at rather than simply...enjoy. I believed I had to write every day…

Quick Tips #9: Inspiration and how to find it

They're the moments writers live for. Those moments of giddy inspiration that seem to make the words leap out of nowhere into your mind and (hopefully) onto the page. You may have been struggling with a particular paragraph or plot conundrum or structural challenge…and suddenly the answer is right there in front of you, delicious and…

Quick Tips #8: Voice

"What is voice?" "How do I find it?" These are questions I hear often from clients, and there's no clear-cut answer. There's no "formula". Your voice simply means your particular way of placing thoughts on the page; your style of writing. What makes you distinctively "you" as a writer. And the way to discover it…

Quick Tips #4: Dialogue

Dialogue is one of the trickiest things to get right. It requires a good ear, and the ability to make speech sound natural even though it is probably the most carefully constructed, "artificial" component of any fictional work. What I mean: Counterintuitively, dialogue in fiction should not mimic everyday speech. Humans say a lot of…