I love this post from the Institute of Children’s Literature’s E-News editor, Jan Fields. about writing with rhythm. It breaks down the basics and if you know the basics, you can build from there. Have You Got Rhythm? All speech has rhythm. Rhythm is just the natural pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Humans are naturally drawn… Read more »
FRESH IS BEST Kathy Temean shares some great tips from Emma Coats who compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she received over the years working as a storyboard artist for the animation Pixar studio. 1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. 2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as… Read more »
A writer friend, Shutta Crum, shared a great post today that I will pass along for two reasons:1. to see if you fall into the trap of “ya, butting” when provided with a critique of your work (note: you should not!), and 2. to see a perfect example of “voice.” I don’t know the author Keith Cronin but I… Read more »
Watch out for exclamatory cows! Writers are admonished to “show don’t tell” all the time. I’ve heard that concept described more ways than there are changes in the weather where I live. But this quick description from the Institute of Children’s Literature RX really sunk in: Show don’t tell involves more than images…it is about immediacy. Whenever you’re… Read more »
Do you know Laini Taylor’s work? She’s an amazingly gifted author who thinks way beyond the confines of the page. The second book in her Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, Days of Blood and Starlight, recently debuted at # 4 on the NYTimes Bestseller List. Wow.Even if you aren’t a fan of fantasy, her 5 Writing Tips… Read more »
OK – I asked for it. I wanted a critique of a new rhyming MS and I got it. It wasn’t a positive critique — in fact, it was downright embarrassing. But, I let some time pass and now I can see where I got off track. The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense. — Tom… Read more »
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