I’m not going to sugarcoat this: I’m pretty anti-NaNo. If it works for you, that’s great. But for me, just thinking about it stresses me out.…
Pacing is how quickly or slowly you tell your story. In order to write a book people read with excitement and recommend with vigor, you’ve got…
How many drafts do you need before you can call your novel finished? It’s an excellent question, deserving of a solid answer, but the truth is,…
Creating a dynamic action scene can improve the pacing and excitement level in your story. However, there are a few common mistakes you might want to…
As a literary writer with a love for character-driven stories, I often struggle with pacing. My writing group will tell me things like, “this is a…
Flashbacks can be a great tool for incorporating character backstory into your narrative. They can also disrupt the flow of your story and confuse your readers.…
Last week, I shared some tips from a panel I recently moderated focused on pacing your novel. This week, I want to share thoughts from another…
Last weekend I moderated a writing panel at a science fiction conference. The theme of the panel was pacing your novel. We had a great conversation…
If there are two pieces of advice most often distributed to new writers, they’re to start your story with a bang—in the middle of the action—to…
Pacing, the multi-faceted tool for writers can create varied moods and build tension, but are you maximizing its use? Understanding the basics of this tool can…