I follow @smoulderingsea on Twitter, and every once in a while he tosses out some sharp, smartย #editortips. A recent one went something like “if it doesn’t have anything to do with your story, it doesn’t matter how you love it. Take it out.” My response to this has traditionally been a whine of “it all […]
Know Which Darlings to Kill Read More ยป
Lots of people will tell you what not to do. Don’t start with your character waking up, for instance. Agents and editors have seen this so many times, and apparently are intensely weary of it. Starting with back-story is out, starting with description is dulls-ville, starting with a prologue is usually a bad plan, dialogue can be tricky, for heaven’s sake don’t start with a dream…what’s left?
Taming the Dreaded First Scene Read More ยป
Recently I raved here about Save the Cat! Some friends wanted to hear more, so I thought I’d break down possibly the most valuable page in any writing book I own–with the clear caution that this alone isn’t enough (unless you are far better at taking a thought and running with it than I am.)
Save the Cat!: The Blake Snyder Beat Sheet (the BS2) Read More ยป
When they tell you that writing a script can help your novel–listen. Like many writers, I am a rabid collector of writing books. Until fate brought Save the Cat into my hands, though, I’d resisted moving beyond novel-writing books. Not because I doubted they would help at all. Because I felt I should focus, since