Description can bring a scene, place, or character to life, but too many or too few details, too much or too little specificity can break the fictive dream for readers. A reader will do 90% of the work creating a mental image of a character, their setting and the fictional…
Gifts For Writers
What do you buy the writer on your Christmas list with too many notebooks already? Here’s a list of fun ideas to get you started. It’s that time of year again when people want to give a writer a meaningful gift. The go-to gift is always a notebook and pen,…
How To Shut Out Writer’s Block So You Can Fast Draft!
Fast Drafting is a concept I first heard about from author Candace Havens. I have never taken her workshops, but I gleaned the concept from a handful of blog posts and ran with it. Jami Gold summarizes this writing technique: “Fast drafting entails getting the framework of our stories down…
How Relationships Affects How We Write Subtext
Adding layers of meaning for readers behind the dialogue (between the lines) adds some rich texture, conflict, authenticity, and understanding to story. Subtext is the silent conversation that happens while another topic is being discussed. Subtext can use euphemisms and other diversionary tactics to have a private or intimate conversation…
6 Questions To Discover The Power Imbalance Affecting Subtext In Fiction
Power or authority applies a filter to subtext, it affects how we perceive or interpret what we believe is actually being said. What Is Subtext? Subtext is the non-verbal communication expressed through what Psychology Today called “a silent orchestra” which is a combination of facial expression, tone of voice, posture,…
How Feelings and Emotions Differ In Fiction
As writers, part of what makes us good at our jobs is the natural inclination for self-awareness and introspection. Understanding the difference between “feelings” and “emotions” is important, especially when using an intimate writing style such as Deep Point of View (POV). I came across this in my research this…