Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors

Authors see everything so perfectly that we don't always realize we're not providing the reader the necessary details to allow him to see the setting.

To be effective in sharing our knowledge with the leetspeakers, we have to realize why most people hate the guts out of Grammar Nazis and then approach with caution.

How do we juggle scenes in which multiple characters are all supposed to be acting and talking?

Even the Margaret Atwoods and Stephen Kings had to log their time as frustrated, fearful authors who had no idea what they were doing.

Always be aware of why you're including a particular explanation, then reevaluate it to determine its value and don't be afraid to chop it if it's interrupting the information that's of true importance to your story.

This year, instead of making a complete list of writing resolutions for the whole year, try implementing one new resolution every month.

Today, I'd like to share a little bit of my own holiday cheer with a list of the (mostly) writing-specific gifts I' thankful for this Christmas.

Although sorting through our fat idea folders can sometimes seem like an overwhelming challenge, don't forget that an abundance of ideas is an author's greatest blessing.

You might find the perfect gift for the fellow writer on your list - or you may find something to add to your own "Dear Santa" list!

To flashback or not to flashback? Sooner or later, that's a question every writer is confronted with.

It's vital the author understand the differences between action and reaction, so he can identify which course is preferable at key moments in the story

Copying another writer boils down to nothing more or less than mimicry, and mimicry, as we all know, is one awesome compliment.

When the writing gurus tell you to be brave and break some rules, for crying out loud, which rules are they talking about?

When you write your story, but particularly as you revise, be on the watch for the balance that emerges about your character from the details you present.

Let's take a look at ten methods for cracking our whips at our fears and forcing them to respond to our shouts of "back, back, vicious beast!"