Narrative Balance: A Pacing Necessity

Pacing is key in stories. If your pacing is off, an editor, agent, or reader will get bored with your book. One key element in getting your pacing just right is narrative balance. Narrative balance is the ratio of dialogue to narration in a text. Page after page of narration bogs down the pacing and becomes boring for the reader. Conversely, extended scenes of just dialogue reads too quickly, and the reader gets lost. The appropriate balance between dialogue and … Read More »

Simultaneous Submissions, Should You Do It?

When starting out as a writer, it can be difficult to find places to be published. After figuring out what you want to write, you have to figure out which outlet is the best fit for your work. Then you have to navigate the daunting world of pitching. As a freelancer, the standard goal is receiving 100 rejections a year. That means you pitch as often as CC Sabathia (baseball humor!). It also requires you to find evergreen and timely … Read More »

Five Common Revision Problems and How to Fix Them

Writers often confront similar problems with their stories during the revision process. It can be frustrating to think your manuscript is too messy to fix or has more problems than other writers’ work. Fear not! Many authors confront the same challenges as they revise. Remember, any issue is fixable—some just take more time than others to set straight. So to help save you some time on your journey, here are five common revision problems and ideas for how to fix … Read More »

Don’t Diss the Details

posted in: Writing Craft 2

I love a story with details. I think they have the power to bring a story to life, make it believable, and put the reader right where you want them — hooked, immersed, and with the feeling that they are actually there with your characters. But I would caution against meaningless detail. You want those you choose to be accurate/believable, and you want them to fulfill their purpose. You must choose carefully — if you’re lucky, they’ll provide layers of … Read More »

Thoughts on Brand Names

posted in: Writing Craft 4

We often write best about the times and places we inhabit, filling our prose with the little details of our existences. To get there, we sometimes sprinkle the work with brand names. Stephen King does this to good effect, giving the work real-world flavor. His rationale—and it’s a good one—is that a person buys a Pepsi, not a soft drink. However, King runs the risk of readers a hundred years from now having no idea what he’s talking about when … Read More »

Give Yourself Permission to Write Trash!

As writers we’re so focused on success (getting published) that we rarely give ourselves permission to simply write trash. The notion of transcribing something truly raw from our subconscious or filling pages with topics that’ll never be in a finished product is cringe-worthy. Take into account the growing constraints on our daily lives — work responsibilities, family obligations, and social commitments — and suddenly any free time we have needs to be spent finishing a polished poem or short story … Read More »

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