Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors

As the creator of our worlds and our characters, we don't have to wallow in the quagmire of vague details and fuzzy ideas. We can make statements of authority because, if we're not the authority in our stories, who is?

Even if you already have a good idea of the specifics of your world, taking the time solidify your ideas by answering these, and other, questions can inject more life and realism into your setting and allow you to spot flaws and inconsistencies.

Some words are overused so often that they find their way onto the Wanted: Dead or Alive list of practically every author, agent, and editor (not to mention reader).

Thanks to laziness and fear - and often oblivion - it's much too easy to fall into comfortable patterns that eventually descend into blatant repetition.

If you can strengthen the narrative of your story by showing a logical progression of cause and effect, you'll end up with leaner prose, more honest character reactions, and more involved readers.

Recognizing, and even appreciating, the fact that writing will always be difficult, frees us from the doubt, and even guilt, of feeling we'll never be good enough - because the truth is we won't.

Studying stories of the type you want to write is legitimately important research, and don't let anyone tell you differently.

No story is perfect; no author is perfect. This is a sad fact that every writer has to face sooner or later.

Whenever you see the word "there" used as a pronoun, you can be sure it's being used as a crutch to hold up a weak and passive sentence.

When we focus on the goals that are slightly more achievable, we're not only more likely to pull them off, but we'll also feel much better about ourselves come next year.

Weather, like most description, is best delivered in small doses, interspersed with the action and dialogue, and offered only when important.

Keep your eyes open for places where you can effortlessly strengthen your scene by using verbs that show instead of tell.

It takes time and breathing space for us to figure out which ideas are worth committing to for the long haul.

It's vital that each author discover for himself the methods that work best for him.

Avoiding description is impossible, and attempting to avoid it does nothing but tie an author's hand.