Are your feeling stranded in the middle of your novel? You started out strong with loads of ideas and great promise for the beginning of your story. Then you jumped into the exotic world of the middle with both feet. And now, you feel like you're slogging through quicksand in the middle of your story? Don't despair. The middle of your novel is the testing ground for your protagonist (and for you as a writer...). It's the place in your story when you begin to strip away what's not working for …
The Use of Symbols and Foreshadowing in Stories
"I recently saw again To Kill a Mockingbird and I remember you liked to use the writing as an example in your classes. What purpose did the author have when she had Atticus shoot and kill a rabid dog? How did that contribute to the story line? He did what he had to do? The kids had to learn the truth about life? He was simply protecting them? You are supposed to be nice to dogs!! Anyway, it’s been plaguing me." The use of symbols and foreshadowing in stories allows a writer to "show not tell" a …
Thank Your Imagination
Ideas pop and boom like exploding fireworks in the writer's mind. Untethered, a wild imagination flits every which way with no defined borders and no true beginning, middle and end. In plot consultations, highly imaginative writers unwittingly compound the difficulty of arranging ideas into a story with a plot. Laughing excuses. Dismissing bizarre characters. Discounting weird plot twists. Shrugging off unconventional themes, fantastical pairings, and real emotions in unreal situations. Instead, …
I Called the Plot Whisperer Again
I met Sandra Leesmith years ago at the Desert Dreams RWA writer's conference in Tempe, Arizona where I was a featured speaker. Since then, she has featured me in three of her blog posts at Seekerville. This last time I Called the Plot Whisperer Again sparked lots of questions and dialogue and plenty of enthusiasm. I cut and paste a few of the most frequently asked questions and comments. Character Goals Jill: Although I'm not much of a plotter, I do like to dig into the internal and …
5 Revision Tips
I admit it -- I really, really, really want to get to the rewrite! Dive into the words, hang ten with them, splash, frolic, crash, fall, jump, and play with the words. Each time I'm tempted to give into the urge to write, the revising I'm doing shines a brilliant light. Again and again I'm shown a new angle, a dangling plot line, what scenes hold the energy, where the meaning is, what is the purpose and the relevance of each scene to the overall plot, story, character emotional development. …
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