Deepen Character Goal and Motivation: The Longing and the Lack
Figuring out why your characters do what they do can be some of the hardest work of writing, and a…
Character
Fixing Flat Characters and Flat Stories
It’s tempting to think in terms of good or bad, clear-cut categorizations and blanket judgments; it’s tidy and orderly and…
Cohesion: The Key to Powerful Story
A key issue I often see in stories that aren’t quite working as well as they could is that no…
Don’t Be Afraid to Go Big
Don’t be afraid to try things–even things that may seem far, far out of the box. You’re not always writing…
Revealing Other Characters’ Inner Life
Stories aren’t primarily about the facts; they’re about the feelings—not just your characters’ emotions, but all of their inner life:…
The Trick to Writing Compelling Inner Life
Probably the comment I give most often in a writer’s manuscript is some variation of, “Let the reader in a…
Are You Neglecting a Powerful Tool in Your Writer’s Toolbox?
People-watching is some of the most instructive work we can do for creating richly and fully developed characters on the…
Relationships, Character, and the Unexpressed Longing
Unspoken desires are so often at the root of what may seem like arguments, misunderstandings, and conflict—and it’s a powerful…
Understanding Evil Characters (and Writing Them Real)
So many stories in some way deal with the conflict between good and evil. As authors we’re urged to find…
Analysis: How Storytelling Makes the Story
If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. My roommate when I lived in New…