Motivation-Reaction Units: Cracking the Code of Good Writing
What’s the secret to good prose? What makes it work—not just on the aesthetic level of vivid and poetic word choices, but on the deeper and ultimately more important level of functionality?
The Surprising Effect of Too Much Clarity in a Story
This week’s video warns against the temptation to eliminate all subtlety and ambiguity.
Excuse Me, Did You Misplace Your Modifier?
One of the most common, and to the careful reader, one of the most distracting, errors made by writers, even the so-called professionals, is the misplaced or “dangling” modifier.
Episodic Storytelling? Here’s Why
This week’s video offers some pointers for avoiding dead-end events in your stories.
The Portable Writing Teacher
Aspiring writers are fortunate: to find all the great teachers they need, and more, they just have to walk into their local library.
How to Create a Surefire Awesome Setting
This week’s video offers suggestions for balancing the perception that reader dislike setting description with the reality that every book needs a vivid setting.
The Writer as (Performing) Artist
Like opera singers, professional baseball players, and Olympic-level figure skaters, writers have a responsibility to give their audience a deeply pleasurable experience. Acquiring the ability to consistently deliver such experiences takes hard work.
Exploring The Artist’s Way
Working through The Artist’s Way greatly expanded my concept of myself as a writer, and shed light on the limitations in thinking that had held me back.
Your Character Might Be Betraying Readers If . . .
This week’s video cautions against having good characters turn bad just to provide an interesting plot twist.
The Biggest Problem With Trick Endings
This week’s video talks about the pitfalls of the always tempting twist endings.
