If we imagine other characters in our story seeing the protagonist through a keyhole view, what would they say or write? If the story is written with a single point of view, the thoughts of the other characters can’t be used or we’d be head hopping. Their judgements can be revealed in dialog, directly in […]
Gruelling Exercise for Writing Fitness
In my writing class, I presented an exercise to analyze a story that had won third prize in a university contest. The author had an unusual writing style that the students found confusing, as did I in the first read. It took me three reads to understand the possible goals the author had for the […]
Character Goals
A New Year brings thoughts of improvement, creating resolutions, determination to stick with them. What about your characters? What are their goals? Major? Minor? Make a note of them and check back in three months, six months, or just before your novel goes to the publisher. Did the goals change? How many were accomplished? The […]
Character Tip
Monica Wood offers us a writing tip: “If your main character is eluding you, have her write a letter to the editor.” What is on her or his mind?
Dangling Modifiers
Monica Wood in The Pocket Muse, gives examples of sentences with dangling modifiers that show amusing results. “Mary admired the dress I bought for her in a department store with puffed sleeves.” The store had puffed sleeves? “Sidetracked by the phone call, the stew boiled over and Ella blamed her chatty mother.” The phone call […]