There are very few novels that don’t depend heavily on dialog for everything from plot exposition to characterization. So if you want to write novels, figuring out how to get the most from dialog is important. (If you want to write plays or movies, it’s even more
Read more →“The truest thing you can say about writing is ‘it depends’”—Scott Lynch “It depends” is the experienced writer’s answer to anyone who’s looking for rules and recipes. There is no “right answer.” There is only “a possible right answer for this story.” Even then, it’s only a
Read more →It’s been a while since I talked about structure, and Rose’s question in the last Open Mike made me realize that I normally talk about structure in general, not about specific story structures. So this time, I’m going to dig into alternating storylines. I’m not talking about
Read more →A lot of writers have talked about the importance of choosing the “right word,” from Gustave Flaubert’s “le mot juste” to Mark Twain’s “the difference between the almost-right word and the right word…is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” We talk about this because
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