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FIGHT ON!

HOW TO CREATE A BATTLE SEQUENCE

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For all the fantasy / thriller / sci-fi people out there, this post should be helpful — something to aid you in sorting out an intense battle sequence. If you’re anything like me, whenever I think about a large-scale fight, I tend to cringe. In fact, in The Pioneers Saga, there are several of such sequences, and there were times in my writing where I found myself skipping the fight scene so that I could get on to something that was a stronger writing point for me.

But after my escapism writing was done Continue reading →

I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT

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HOW TO WRITE MORE FLUIDLY

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So, I wasn’t going to do this, but I decided against it because of how impressed with this program I am.

I have been writing for over a year now, and for months I scoured the internet looking for a writing app that was truly for writers! Continue reading →

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS

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HOW TO NOT TO USE HAD ALL THE TIME

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I have recently been reading a book that’s an epic saga, and it’s not Twilight. Please don’t accuse me of that. Haha!

I won’t mention the saga because I may make several references to it that may be good or bad over the next few days. Perhaps later, I’ll reveal which one it is. But I’m not into bashing people’s work. That said, this isn’t a bash, as much as it is an observation. Continue reading →

HOW TO DECIDE WHAT TO CUTThe past week has been a brain full of information. Incorporating scenes and sequels into your novel can seem overwhelming. If you’re like me, I learned about these small units of plot building well after I starting book 1.

What I realized was that I needed a lot more tension — a mean a lot more. There were scenes that were so full of description that it took away from the power of the story. Continue reading →

WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?

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HOW TO KEEP YOUR MOMENTUM

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What do we do! What’s next? Where do we go from here? Pete has just decided to dial 911. The reader is relieved. At least help is on the way. I mean, we have no idea what Pete’s father is doing. The “sequel” has been written.

Now we write another scene. Remember the three elements that we need? We need the goal, the conflict, and the disaster. And the key here is the keep the tension mounting. There are a lot of avenues that we could take, but let’s go with one of the obvious ones.

Here’s the goal. Continue reading →

RIGHTING WEEKNESSES

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HOW TO FIGURE OUT YOUR WRITING WEAKNESS

I hope everyone enjoyed Memorial Day. I certainly did, even though I’ve been sick for the past few days. That said, I cooked up some elephantine hamburgers yesterday by mistake. I couldn’t stop laughing at these fist-sized loaves of meat. But I digress.

As writers, it’s important to know what our strengths and weaknesses are. Many people don’t want to admit their blind spots, which ultimately hinders their writing.

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THE FIRST DIMENSION

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HOW TO CRAFT THE ONE-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTER

One-dimensional characters (1DC) are great tools to use if you are trying to highlight a specific trait in your other characters. Say for instance you want show what your hero is not like (i.e. prideful and boisterous).

One tool to use would be to create a 1DC who is prideful and boisterous. Your 1DC will radiate those two traits so vividly that any pride that your main character has will be overshadowed by the 1DC. There are so many avenues that 1DCs can take, and they really do not need to have much backstory or definition. A few simple explanations will suffice.

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LET ME GET A NUMBER 1 AND A NUMBER 3

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HOW TO USE FIRST-PERSON AND THIRD-PERSON TOGETHER

Few novels have been able to successfully use FP and TP. Why? Because it gets too confusing. There are essentially two people telling the story. Or it could be that your FP POV narrator is the one explaining the events as they happened to him.

Either way, this technique is possible, but great tact must be taken.

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AUTHOR ALMIGHTY

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HOW NOT TO WRITE IN THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT

What is third-person omniscient (TPO)? Well, it is a very unique style where the writer has the privilege of knowing everything about the world that has been created. The reader can actually listen to the thoughts of as many characters as the writer deems necessary.

There are some drawbacks to TPO. Just because the author knows everything, there still can be some omniscient violations. It’s not a good practice to switch the POV from several different characters within the same scene. Why? Simply put, it’s hard to follow, and the emotions of the characters are not experienced as fully. Continue reading →