BACKWARDS WRITING ADVICE
The Gremlin Muse
I've said many times that my muse IS the gremlin on my shoulder... but what does that mean? And... am I being honest? First, what is a...
Why I 'Pants'
I wrote a blog already about why you should decide between plotting and pantsing based on your own strengths. You shouldn't do one or the...
Don't Quit, Think About It Brother
That title's from a song: 'Don't quit, think about it brother, but don't quit' Everybody reaches that point where they are thinking...
Said, Said, Said
A lot of novelists will tell you that you can use 'said' in every narrative tagline. First of all, not everything is 'said'--sometimes...
Crappy 1st Draft?
I’ve heard a lot of writers say, “Give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft”. Some people “word-vomit” their first draft. I...
How To Sift Through Writing Advice
When you start reading about writing, and watching videos about writing… you’re going to get tons of contradictory advice. It seems like...
Repetition and Repeating Yourself
Very often I find myself repeating the same thing, just in different words. You annoy your readers when you insult their ability to...
Plotting VS Pantsing
You will hear and see tons of advice on this topic, and much of it one sided. Clearly… my advice is going to be backwards. First, if you...
Novel Pacing
There's a huge difference between excellent pacing as Stephen King... and excellent pacing as Joe Shmo. The distinction I'm trying to...