Category Archives: Writing Tips

Suggestions on how to improve writing skills

FREE IS THE WAY TO BE

THE RHYTHM IS GONNA’ GET YOU

HOW TO INCORPORATE RHYTHM

A lot of novels tend to veer away from the poetry of prose.

The “poetry of prose”, in the way that I’m using it, does not refer to the flowery language that demands the reader to observe just how flighty it is, therefore keeping the meaning hidden.

That’s not good novel-writing, generally speaking. Often times authors who use poetic prose end up cloaking the true meaning from the reader, in which case, the novel is better left unread.

The “poetry of prose” is essentially the rhythm of your words, how they swim and move and flow as you write. Continue reading →

DON’T JUDGE ME…JUDGE YOUR CHARACTER

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HOW TO MAKE BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS

Making a believable character whom we can all route for is tough. Yet, I was able to find a great example of how to draw the reader in with this video clip of Katy Perry’s “Roar”. Remember, you promised not to judge. Continue reading →

DON’T SAY WHAT YOU MEAN TO SAY

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USING DIALOGUE TO CRANK UP TENSION

“Straight-forward dialogue can be a bit…eh…how should I say…. Well, I’d rather keep my opinion to myself.”

Here’s an example of a character backing off from a comment where the meaning is implied. These kinds of lines gave a novel a lot of body and create tension when tension is hard to find, especially if you have a man and a woman drinking wine at a romantic dinner date in the woman’s apartment. Continue reading →

NO MEANS NO…SOMETIMES

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HOW TO USE “NO” TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

“No” is a powerful word. It has two meanings – both yes and no. If someone offers you a slither of your favorite cake (mine is red velvet – homemade, not out of a box), and you say no because you’re trying to watch your figure, chances are, what you really mean is “Yes, I’d love to have a piece of cake. Glad you asked.” But, there’s something in you that answers for you, namely your waistline that threatens to bulge if you dare even dream of having even one bite. Continue reading →

PLOT PUNCHING BAG

DRAW…ERRR…WRITE, I MEAN

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HOW TO WRITE FROM THE HIP

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Writing from the hip can be cumbersome to some, but freeing to others, like me. The previous post was about writing with a plan from start to finish. I’ve tried writing with a plan, and I find that the craft itself becomes more of a burden than a pleasure.

A lot of times, I have ideas in my head, and I have to see which direction they lead me before I can truly be committed to the ideas themselves. In order for me to see the direction, I have to let it flow, which ultimately means that I am usually one step ahead of my pen. Continue reading →

IT’S ALL PART OF THE PLAANNN

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HOW TO WRITE WITH A PLAN

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When creating a writing process that works for you, you have two choices (generally speaking): you can plan your work from start to finish, or you can write from the hip. I believe that both processes are valid, and I’ll tell you about my experience with each.

PLANNING

I chose to plan the entire second book of the The Pioneers.

And here’s what I did. Continue reading →

NEITHER SWIFT NOR STRONG

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HOW TO SET YOUR PACE

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Creating a writing process can be tough. It really can be. In my previous post I talked about the ways that ideas come to me and how those ideas get chopped into the meat grinder and put on the page.

There were some great comments about how to generate ideas, so you should take a moment to review both the post and the comments as well.

But this time I wanted to move a little further Continue reading →

DEVELOP YOUR PROCESS

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HOW TO DEVELOP A WRITING PROCESS

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One of the most frequent questions I get asked is how I come up with my ideas. I hadn’t thought about it much because usually they just come and then my pen responds in kind. But that doesn’t help the novice writer out too much.

In fact, I often find myself wondering the same thing about the greats: Robin Cook, Stephen King, and the JD Rob types (whom I haven’t read much of but I do respect). I mention these few because they come out with different types of books — not just selling one mega story such as Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. It’s much simpler to continue a story that has begun, but more difficult to create fresh characters and a fresh new plotline that people still want to read. Continue reading →