Can we make our writing tighter? Last week we dealt with adjectives. Taking a few pages or a chapter, we removed all the adjectives and adverbs and made a two-column list. The first column contained the adjectives, and the second column had the adverbs we removed from the text. Afterwards, […]
Learning the Craft: Let’s talk adjectives
We’ve gone over our characters and probably have an idea of a story or plot. So why stop now and look at the very words we use? It’s important because we want to get our words, sentences, and paragraphs in good working order before we get too deeply into our […]
Learning the Craft: The Villain Character
How to create a villain? Take a good look at your hero. What kind of villain would he have? What is your hero trying to accomplish, and what kind of bad guy (or gal) would fight the hero’s desired outcome? Not everyone can be good. And if everyone were always […]
Learning the Craft: The Adversary Character
What is an Adversary Character in Literature? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word adversary is from the Latin adversarius, which means “turned toward” or “antagonistic toward.” All villains are adversaries, but not all adversaries are villains. An adversary is not necessarily evil. He or she is a character who […]
Learning the Craft: The Teacher or Mentor Character
What is a Mentor in Literature? The classic mentor is a wise and learned older person who takes the protagonist under his wing. He or she has usually been in the place or situation the protagonist is now. The Mentor ‘knows the ropes.’ If the main character is in […]
Learning the Craft: The Best Friend Character
How do you create a Best Friend for your protagonist? It depends on what you want from that friend. Do you want the BF to be a reflection of your MC? That would be boring. Or do you want to showcase the qualities of your Main Character by giving his […]
Learning the Craft: Your Protagonist or Main Character
Who is your Protagonist? Your main character changes with whatever genre you write. It can be the hard-drinking detective in a crime mystery or the handsome rogue in your romance. However, this character needs to be your most developed character because he carries the plot. The author needs to fully […]
Learning the Craft: Character Creation
Why start with creating your characters? If you write fiction, you know that there are two kinds of fiction. There is action-driven fiction that is fast-paced and all about the plot. Then there is character-driven fiction which is what I write. While the plot is slower, the characters and the […]
Learning the Craft: Genre
What is a genre? It is a category, a definition that files your book into an accepted compartment or sort. Why is genre important? Because there are specific rules for each genre. Word counts, plots, marketing, and publication all depend on the kind of genre you write. That’s not to […]
Learning the Craft: Finding your Voice
What is the writer’s voice? It is that special magic that agents and publishers look for. The literary agent, Rachel Gardner, defines the writer’s voice like this: “Your writer’s voice is the expression of YOU on the page.” It is the essence of the author and reflects the writer’s personality, […]