There’s more to writing a story than just the words you say. There’s also how you say them. Yes, your story consists of the words you choose. But in order to catch your reader’s attention, it also needs to tell the reader something about your character too. That’s called writing with Voice. Voice can be… Continue reading Let’s Hear Your Voice!
Category: Writing Craft
Set it Up!
When I think about my favorite books, I realize that every single one has something in common. They have a cool setting. There’s an actual place inside the author’s world that intrigues me. I actually want to travel there! I want to live there or take a vacation there or hang out there.In the Last… Continue reading Set it Up!
Give Your Character a Surprise!
I love surprises. I love being surprised. I love surprising other people. And this past weekend, I pulled off a good one- I threw a Sweet 16 Birthday Party for my little girl (who’s obviously not a little girl anymore) and it was a huge, fun surprise! It was fun for me to plan, and… Continue reading Give Your Character a Surprise!
Throw Obstacles in the Path
Obstacles are no fun. They get in the way. They block the road or the path or your dreams.Obstacles can be small like the time when little Patrick couldn’t finish building his tower because he used up all his wooden blocks. Or the time Jenna couldn’t color the grass green on her picture because she… Continue reading Throw Obstacles in the Path
Do You Have Rhythm?
Some people have rhythm. And some people don’t. And I’m sorry to say, I’m one of those people who don’t. I try to have rhythm. Really, I do. I hear a great song on the radio when I’m driving so I tap my hand on the steering wheel or bob my head back and forth.… Continue reading Do You Have Rhythm?
Basic Beliefs
We all want to create interesting characters for our stories, right? I sure do! One of the best ways I’ve found to do that is to give your character a Basic Belief.A Basic Belief is something your character believes to be true. Here are 2 examples of characters and their Basic Beliefs:• Tori believes if… Continue reading Basic Beliefs
What’s at Stake?
As long as you write stories, there will be people out there, like your family or your friends, who will ask you, "What is your story about?" And when they ask you that question, what answer will you give them? You could say something like, “I’m writing a story about a girl named Samantha who makes… Continue reading What’s at Stake?
First Lines
The first line can tell a lot about a story. It can tell whether it will be creepy, or serious, or funny. It can tell you if it’s set in our world or in an imaginary world. It can tell you if it’s going to be told by a narrator or by the main character.… Continue reading First Lines
Show Time!
If you’re a writer, I bet you’ve heard of Show Don’t Tell. Lots’ of times, right?Me too. I’ve heard it from my teachers; I’ve learned it in my writing classes; I’ve read it on writing websites; and from books that teach how to write stories. So what’s the big deal? Why is Showing vs. Telling so… Continue reading Show Time!
Making Characters Memorable
Last week’s post called, Fifty Facts was all about listing as much stuff as you can about each character. That way you’ll know enough about them to write them into your story. For example, let’s say your character, Ben loves cars. Since Ben loves cars, you can write a scene where he builds a go-… Continue reading Making Characters Memorable