This comes from Paul Schmid's 12-year-old daughter, who is as cool in person as her advice is smart:1. Figure out what you like. Write about what you like most.2. Think up the setting.3. Get the main characters. Your story would be especially interesting with a hero or two, and a villain.4. Remember three things: Beginning,... Continue Reading →
Does your character have good flaws?
Plot to Punctuation has a nifty post up about character flaws and how you can use them to drive your narrative:To really make your story come alive, you’ll also do well to give your characters flaws which enhance the story’s underlying drama. It’s all well and good to have a character who is afraid of... Continue Reading →
Where’s your spine?
Linda Urban has some really interesting advice on her blog: This summer I taught a revision workshop at The Pacific Northwest Children's Book Conference. I covered all the nuts and bolts stuff, but I began the workshop by asking each participant to consider her spine.Not her backbone (except maybe metaphorically), her spine -- the thing... Continue Reading →
Four mistakes beginning writers make
Here's the top of a blog post that might help you refine your prose a bit:As an editor, I know when I am reading someone's first novel. I have nicknames for the four give-away faults beginners make: (1) Walk and Chew Gum (2) Furry Dice (3) Tea, Vicar? (4) Styrofoam. I see at least one... Continue Reading →
Darcy Pattison analyzes narrative arcs
This comes from her blog: Very simple picture books still have a narrative arc, even though the word count is extremely small. Here’s a look at a narrative arc in 80 words (with the help of some illustrations), as it appears in My Friend, Rabbit, by Eric Rohmann, winner of the 2003 Caldecott Award for... Continue Reading →
Marianna Baer on introducing characters
Here's a really helpful craft post on introducing your new characters effectively:It's a cliche, I know, but you really do get only one chance at making a first impression -- in life and in fiction. From the moment a new character enters a book, the reader consciously and subconsciously picks up on clues about his... Continue Reading →
How great novelists do it
There are lots of amusing bits in this article about the work habits of famous novelists, but here's my favorite, from Margaret Atwood:Put your left hand on the table. Put your right hand in the air. If you stay that way long enough, you'll get a plot," Margaret Atwood says when asked where her ideas... Continue Reading →
Tips for finding your voice
The editor Alan Rinzler has a helpful post on voice:Voice is what gives writing energy, authenticity, it animates the narrator and characters with a unique personality. It grabs your attention and keeps you turning the page.I remember the first time I read Claude Brown’s Manchild in the Promised Land, and Lenore Skenazy’s Free Range Kids.... Continue Reading →
Getting to the heart of your story
Cheryl Klein (insert sounds of worship here) has four tips that help writers find their stories' emotional hearts.1. Conflict, Mystery, Lack.2. What Does the Character Want? 3. Compulsion vs. Obstacles.4. Problem, Process, Solution. For explanations of each, visit her blog.
Creating a hero
The Type M for Muder blog has some advice from Donald Maas:Maass began by telling us that great novels need a compelling hero or heroine, a person who takes risks for the benefit of others, and to do so, flies in the face of social convention. He asked members of the audience to think of... Continue Reading →