Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Do we have the skill to write a novel or short story?  Here are early clues that may let us  know.  Also, top writers' ten best rules of writing.  And J.R.R. Tolkien's techniques for writing fascinating settings. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is...

Sometimes in our story we'll have a scene filled with people where everyone is moving all at once, such as a battle scene or mob scene or festival scene or street scene.  Here are techniques on crafting the scene so there's no confusion so readers can focus on the hero.  Also, what is the rule of exceptions?  And, can something bad happening to us make us better writers?  Support the sho...

Readers love dialogue, the chance to eavesdrop on the characters.  Here is a good way to make that dialogue really worth listening to.  Also, here are techniques that can tie our scenes together, which Jack Bickham calls transitions and sequels.  In a story, what is a transition and what is a sequel? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, chara...

How can we make our character memorable for the reader?  How can we make the character leap off the page and stay in the reader's memory?  Here's how Sherwood Anderson did it.  And here are also character descriptions from another master, William Faulkner, showing us how to create big and bold characters. Support the show Buy the master class.

Readers want a character who can grow and change over the course of the story. Here is a discussion of the character arc: how we can use the arc to develop our character and the plot, giving the reader the big reward at the end of the story of a character who has met the moment with change.  Plus, here is how we can show (rather than tell) about a character's thoughts such as confusion and dr...

One of the best ways to have readers like our story is to have readers like--maybe even love--our main character.   But we usually don't want our protagonist to be a Pollyanna, always sweet and understanding.  Rather we want to create a fully-formed character--maybe with some weird or off-putting angles,  maybe some flaws and shortcomings--to make the character interesting and believable.  He...

We want to write but we don't have our story fully figured out.  What can we do?  Here are thoughts on inventing plot, things we can do to shake loose the plot from our brains.  Also, the techniques of a master of character description: Margaret Mitchell.   Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level...

Fiction's job is to entertain.  A main way to entertain is to be bold with our plot.  Here are thoughts on how to avoid the dull in our plot and how to create a story that keeps readers turning the pages.  Also, how to invent strong metaphors and similes.  And avoiding overly-precious, self-conscious writing. Support the show Buy the master class.

In fiction in all genres only trouble is interesting.  How do we writers use trouble in our story?  Here are thoughts on how we can plot using conflict, crisis, and resolution, a technique important for all genres.  Also, should we use beta readers?  And the add-a-quirk technique. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, sce...

When do we know enough writing techniques to start our novel?  And when is the story ready to be written?  I'll try to answer both questions.  Also, how do great writers describe a character's appearance in ways that reveal the character's past and personality?  Here's how masterful writers do it. Support the show Buy the master class.

Red herrings--false clues--are used in most all stories in all genres.  Here are the right and wrong ways to insert red herrings into our stories.  Also, here's how we can show--reveal--much about a character by describing a setting.   Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more....

Kurt Vonnegut said we should "Start as close to the end as possible."  What did he mean?  How can we do so?  Here are thoughts on this famous piece of advice from a legendary novelist.  Also, avoiding the word "not" to give our sentences more energy.  And Orson Scott Card on creativity. Support the show Buy the master class.

Is your writing time becoming a grind?  If so, here are some things that may reduce the grind and maybe even make  writing fun.  Also, here are thoughts on how we might write a sentence that is a timeless truth told in lovely language, an immortal sentence that will live forever. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scen...

We writers should consider giving readers what they want.  Well, what do they want?  Here is a discussion of the five things readers want in a novel.  Also: the dual timeline plot structure.  And F. Scott Fitzgerald's seven tips on writing. Support the show Buy the master class.

Thoughts are interior, in our minds.  But there are ways to show--to give evidence--that reveal to the reader what our character is thinking.  Also, here is an important ingredient that many writers forget when describing a character. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each...

The three most important words in our fiction are, "Story, story, story."  But we can also shoot for lovely, musical language that makes each sentence and paragraph a pleasure to read.  Here are thoughts on how to add music to our sentences. Support the show Buy the master class.

In his famous ten rules of writing, Elmore Leonard says that we shouldn't write things readers tend to skip.  What are those things?  How can we avoid writing them?  Also, should our story have  theme and, if so, how can we present it? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more....

What do Ernest Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, and Elmore Leonard have in common?   Powerful stories, yes.  But also lean and forceful sentences.  Here's how they do it.  Also: in our plotting,what's an acceptable coincidence and what's a weak, story-ruining coincidence? Support the show Buy the master class.

After months and month if writing, we'll near the end of our story.  Our novel is almost finished.  Here are things we should consider as we wrap up our story.  Also, for many of us editing our own story isn't as fun as writing.  Here are thoughts on how we can make sure we edit enough, and how we know when to quit editing. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-...

Why should almost all of our story be scenes rather than summaries?  Here's how we can avoid summaries and instead write moment-by-moment real-time scenes in our fiction.  Also: here are perhaps the most beautiful sentences ever written in fiction. Support the show Buy the master class.

The reader is like a camera as the scene unfolds.  Where should that camera be?  How far away from the characters and the action?  Here are thoughts on authorial distance, about the benefits of placing the camera--the reader--near or far.  Plus, how Charlotte Bronte worked.  Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, s...

Here are the most important fiction writing techniques boiled down to twenty-five minutes.  I've talked about all these elements in prior episodes but sometimes it's useful to hear things again.  This episode is a refresher. Support the show Buy the master class.

We may be writing a comic novel or we may want to add humor to our thriller or romance or horror or literary novel.  Humor adds a strong element to most any story.  Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas: “Funny how?  I mean, funny like I'm a clown?  I amuse you?  I make you laugh?"   Well, yeah.  Let's see how we can make readers laugh. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction...

Good descriptions of characters should do double duty: they can let the reader know what the character looks like and the description can also suggest something about the character's personality.  Here are examples and thoughts on double duty descriptions.  Also, how Alice Walker works.  Support the show Buy the master class.

The title is the book browser's first impression of our novel.  The title should tempt the browser to pick up and open the book.  Here are thoughts on how we can give our story a strong, enticing title.  Also, how do famous authors edit their own manuscripts?  Maybe we can learn from them the best way to self-edit our stories. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-fi...