Craft & Technique

The Scientific Method of Writing

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Browse any writing forum and you’ll notice a pervasive question manifested in a myriad of forms. How do I keep the reader engaged? What is the correct ratio of adverbs to words? What plot structure works best? When should I use passive writing? What should be the make up of my cast? The kernel of … Read more

Voice vs. Grammar

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A few weeks back I wrote an article about Writer’s Voice. I explained my thoughts and experiences and I gave a few examples. One thing that all of these examples had in common is that they took some liberties with what’s normally considered proper grammar. I thought about commenting on it, but decided against it. … Read more

How To Edit Your Own Writing

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This article is by Chloe Waters. My high school writing teacher once said, “A writer views his work the way a mother views her child.” A child is the creation of his/her mother as a written piece is the creation of the writer. Writers, especially when their work is freshly written, are unable to see … Read more

Speaking Without Words – Writing Body Language

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speakingWhen you’re watching a movie, you can see the actors as they deliver their lines. You can see the expressions they make, and you can hear their tone of voice. Seeing them talk tells you a lot more about what they’re saying than just the words they’re using.

When you’re reading a text, you only have the words the writer gives you. The rest you have to make up yourself. As a writer, you have to take that into account.

In theory you could write down exactly everything that the character speaking does – every single motion, conscious or not. In practice, that would be nigh impossible, and it would almost certainly be incredibly dull.

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Write More, Care Less?

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With November comes NaNoWriMo and by now many people are either realizing:typewriter

a. they might have something worth salvaging.
b. they have a steaming pile of crap.
c. a and b
d. none of the above

I came to the conclusion a couple of years ago that having a steaming pile of crap can be a good thing. Yeah, gross, right? So the age old question comes into play: is it better to have nothing or a bunch of slop on a page?

I think the key is to just care less while you’re writing. This doesn’t mean dishing out whatever random junk you have in your arsenal and hope it works. It means stop worrying about sentences not being perfect or how you’re going to market it.

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