Category: Writing
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A Guide to Writing Dialogue in Novels and Stories
How to Format Dialogue and Tips for Better Dialogue Writing dialogue can be complicated. From knowing where to put a comma or a period to knowing when to use single quotes, there are a lot of rules to keep in mind, not to mention you have to make sure the dialogue sounds authentic. This guide… Read more
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How to Create Powerful Internal Conflict in Your Characters
Internal conflict is one of the most important aspects of writing a story. Without it, characters fall flat and aren’t relatable to readers. But with it, they feel authentic, like real people. However, it can be difficult to create internal conflict that resonates with readers and drives the story. So, here’s a guide for crafting… Read more
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5 Ways to Create Convincing Character Personalities
It’s tough to create character personalities that feel real—not to mention a cast of characters that feel authentic. Each character needs a personality that’s unique and different from your own. And, of course, there’s internal conflict, which deserves its own blog post (read that post here). You only have experience being you. So how do… Read more
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How to Write an Intriguing Opening Line for Your Novel
The opening line of your novel—the thing you’ve probably agonized over. Other than the title, cover, and blurb, it’s the first thing your potential readers will see. And it can make the difference between whether they decide to keep reading or put the book down forever. No pressure, right? So, how do you come up… Read more
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How to Take the Pressure Out of Writing—Why You Should Write a Practice Book
My journey to learning how to take the pressure out of writing began six years ago. I was a freshman in college with a dream of becoming an author. There was just one problem. I had no idea how to actually write a book. Sure, I had written stories before (mostly novellas, short stories, and… Read more
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Words and Phrases to Delete to Improve Your Writing
Let’s face it. We all seem to use filler words, passive voice, and weak verbs, adverbs, and adjectives in our writing. But these words and phrases can be really hard to spot when you’re editing your story, and they don’t improve your writing. Sometimes they just slip in, but they’re definitely not necessary all the… Read more
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Info Dumping Explained: Sharing Information Without Overloading Readers
The dreaded info dump. The bane of many writers’ existence. We all struggle with info dumping sometimes. Because, yes, we need to explain things, we need readers to know the information, and, sometimes, we really need to show off how cool the worldbuilding is. Or at least we feel like we need those things. Info… Read more
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How to Conquer White Room Syndrome and Craft Compelling Descriptions
If you’re anything like me, description is one of the last things on your mind when you’re writing. You want the characters to feel real and the dialogue to pop, and before you know it, you’ve completely forgotten to describe anything in the scene, leaving your story with this terrible diagnosis: white room syndrome. But… Read more
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Point of View Explained: A Crash Course for Aspiring Authors
One of the most common issues I see from new writers is not having a clear point of view. Sometimes, the point of view starts with one character, then suddenly it jumps to a different character’s perspective. I’ve even seen a story switch between first person and third person between one paragraph and the next.… Read more
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What is NaNoWriMo? And Should You Participate?
While NaNoWriMo may sound like a bunch of gibberish, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, the annual event where writers from all over attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. This event has taken place every November since 1999, and many new writers and well-known authors (including Rainbow Rowell, Marissa Meyer, Hank Green,… Read more