Writing Techniques

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A woman whose style of singing sets her apart from the crowd is a simple and effective metaphor for how to visualize the ways to describe a voice for characters to be distinguished from one another easily

Ways to Describe a Voice

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called the human voice “the organ of the soul.” Writers must become skilled organists to differentiate and...

Image of the caucasus mountains used to visualize the 10,000 hour rule and how it can be applied to you, above in the background are high mountain peaks certainly worth climbing but in the foreground is a lake that suggests a serenity and calm in the achievement of joy

10,000 Hour Rule on Mastering Skills

“It takes 10,000 hours to truly master anything. Time spent leads to experience; experience leads to proficiency; and the more...

Deciding the question of "how long should a screenplay should be?" is a process of measurement against the demands of an audience, your work, and yourself that is much akin to the physical process of measuring something with a tape measure a few times over.

How Long Should a Screenplay Be?

Screenplays usually land around 90 to 120 pages. And the reason involves both technical considerations and the practical realities of...

When great character name ideas are conceived, they want to be used. The characters will want to employ themselves into personage that will go stamp themselves in the world, as visualized by rocks in a river with people's names painted onto them.

Character Name Ideas

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”– William Shakespeare,...

A visual metaphor for how an author chooses how many words in a chapter there 'ought to be. The language itself is like a large crop field, and those selected for a novel are like a great harvest of produce, from which one must batch together sections of produce to cordon into chapters.

How Many Words in a Chapter?

Authors often struggle to figure out when to add chapter breaks and how to properly split up their novel or...

Literary agents are often one of the main factors in the success of your book. Pictured is a literary agent alone in a conference room working hard on getting your book published — cool corporate lighting

Literary Agents: Steps to Securing Representation

Literary agents serve as the link between writers and the publishing houses that print and market their books. They’re often...

writing hooks
Blog
Alan Watt

How to Write a Hook

When you’re at the bookstore surfing for a good read, you’re often trying to get a sense of the tone and texture

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Recent posts

high fantasy vs low fantasy

High Fantasy vs Low Fantasy: Key Differences You Should Know

All stories have some magic in them. On one end of the spectrum, you have stories spanning across galaxies with...

setting

Setting: Establishing the World of Your Story

Setting isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a signal, cueing the reader how to read what comes next. Before a character...

writing hooks

How to Write a Hook

When you’re at the bookstore surfing for a good read, you’re often trying to get a sense of the tone...

symbolism

Symbolism in Storytelling: Writing with Deeper Meaning

Does the word “symbolism” give you unwelcome flashbacks to your high school English classes? The idea is foreign when we...

show, don't tell

Your Writing Guide to “Show, Don’t Tell”

I suppose everything is easier said than done. The same is true for writing. It’s one thing to say a...

monologue

Writing Monologues That Matter

Most of our everyday speech happens in dialogue — in conversations. You might talk to yourself from time to time,...

juxtaposition

What is Juxtaposition? Using Contrast to Deepen Your Story

The best way to flesh out something is by showing what it isn’t. If that sounds like a paradox, you’re...

active vs passive

Active vs Passive Voice: Choosing Power or Perspective

Understanding when and how to use active vs passive voice isn’t just a matter of grammar; it’s a matter of...

diction

The Power of Diction: Writing with Intention and Impact

The diction you use in your writing is a choice you’re always making, whether subconsciously or not. Writers trade in...

tone

Understanding Tone: Secrets to a Strong Narrative Voice

Creating tone in your writing provides a texture to the work. It’s the emotional coloring that shapes how a reader...

irony

Analyzing the 3 Types of Irony

Irony is a comparison which reveals an incongruity. That comparison might be between events and understanding, a statement and fact,...

kill your darlings

How to “Kill Your Darlings” Without Killing Your Voice

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” – Stephen...

Allusion

What is an Allusion? How to Enrich Your Story with Meaning

Stories become richer when they wink at the world beyond their pages, and that’s exactly what an allusion does. By...

rhetorical choices

Understanding Rhetorical Choices: Technique, Tone, and Purpose

Rhetorical choices shape not just what we say, but how we make people feel and think. Every speech, story, or...

motif

What is a Motif? A Writer’s Guide to Recurring Meaning

Motifs are one of the best literary devices you can have in your writer’s toolbox. Essentially, a motif is a...

Allegory

The Keys to Allegory: Building Symbolism That Lasts

An allegory is like taking a step back in an art gallery to analyze a painting in its entirety. Characters...

coming of age

Coming of Age: 2 Main Story Elements

Coming of age is never easy. You might have been the popular kid in school, armed with academic excellence, physical...

epigraph

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...