We’ve all read that novel where at some point you put it down and forget it ever existed until you trip over it one day and then in a state of annoyance donate it to the charity shop. It failed to grip you, to compel you to go on. Often the culprit is a lack of suspense—the glue that binds the reader’s hands to the covers.
Foreshadowing in a story is an important tool to the writer. As we’ll see in more detail below, foreshadowing is quite simply the act of
When all you have for counsel is yourself, you can never be sure if a re-write is the right thing to do. What if the original version is better? What if I’ve made it worse? There are, however, some things we can do to help make this crucial and difficult decision a little easier.
Merely communicating how something looks or sounds isn’t enough to bring a story to life. Many people experience things through smells, touch, taste. In fact, these oft forgotten senses are some of the most powerful forms of description, things which can enrich a story and give it life.
A good story is grown. It takes weeks, months, of careful nurturing, uncovering the meanings hidden within, fixing characters so they leap from the page, refining plot and prose to make it gripping and immersive. Just like growing a plant, a story requires patience and dedication.
As a creative writing teacher, a common question I get asked is “what is prose in writing?” The term prose simply refers to written or
I’ve learned many harsh lessons since I began writing fiction, all of which have helped me improve as a writer. In this article I thought I’d share how I came to learn those lessons.
Everything in this world of ours changes. Mountains crumble into the sea. Islands disappear. Forests become icecaps. Change is eternal. It is one of life’s only constants. For some of us, we welcome it, embrace it. Others resist.
Why the hostility toward flashbacks? If done well, they work. But done badly, they break the reader’s experience, preventing them from discovering what happens next in the story. To quote editor, Sol Stein, “If we are enthralled, we don’t want to be interrupted.” The trick, therefore, if you feel compelled to use one, is to use the flashback in as little a disruptive way as possible. Here are a few techniques to help you do that.
Today I’m delighted to introduce Savannah Cordova, a talented writer with Reedsy. Savannah has tackled a topic I follow both with interest and despair.
