Epigraph: A Clue to Your Story
Before a story begins, you can include an epigraph to signal your protagonist’s dilemma, the tone, and even foreshadow the ending with […]
Rhetorical Devices: The Art of Arguing
In the modern world where the town square is a digital place and the zeitgeist is a worldwide phenomenon, we don’t practice […]
Literary Devices: A Writer’s Palette
Literary devices are the various techniques writers employ to create stylistic effects, convey deeper meaning, evoke emotion, and enhance the overall impact […]
How to Call on Your Muse
The idea of a Muse, inspiration, spirit, or genius, is present in any civilization in which great literature exists. When we read […]
“Does my story need an Epilogue?”
Just when you thought a story was done, sometimes there’s still room for an epilogue. Stories often end with a moment of […]
How to Write a Synopsis
A synopsis might sound like just another item on your never-ending to-do list, but it’s actually one of the most powerful tools […]
Getting Notes – Ten Things to Consider
I got an email this morning from one of my students who just received a pile of notes on her work-in-progress and […]
The Imperative for Dramatic Conflict
A director told me once that if you put two actors together in a scene without directing them or staging the scene, […]
Why We Go on Retreat
For years, my students had been asking me when I was going to take them on a retreat. Frankly, I’d been […]
Banishing Redundancies
Redundancy is not only a sign of lazy writing; it can also pull us out of the story by interrupting the narrative […]
Writing Prose
“Prose is architecture, not interior design.” – Ernest Hemingway Our words are in service to our story. When we get too flashy with […]
The Courage to be Specific in Writing
Humans are full of paradoxes. We only love to the extent that we hate. We are constantly changing our minds, constantly renegotiating […]
