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Imagery: Writing with All 5 Senses
As writers and engineers of stories, imagery is our bread and butter. In some sense, all the literary devices at your disposal
November 20, 2025
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Writing Techniques
Most popular posts
What is reverse outlining? While many writers outline before they write a single scene, others follow a “pantser” method where...
Whether you’re brainstorming your first story or publishing your ninth book, there comes a point when all writers wonder the...
A cliffhanger is not a trick, but a promise. As a storyteller, you want to grab your reader’s attention and...
Theme ideas aren’t something tacked on to the end of a story. They are central to the narrative, and woven...
Have you ever found yourself staring at the blank page and waiting for the spark, but it doesn’t come? So...
The Magician archetype is a character who comes into the story and transforms everything. They don’t wield a specific authority...
Coming of age is never easy. You might have been the popular kid in school, armed with academic excellence, physical...
Occasionally, tucked somewhere between an introduction, epigraph, and dedication, a book might have a prologue. This is the story before...
Magical realism invites the impossible into the ordinary. This genre asks us to accept the fantastical without question. The supernatural...
A powerful way to shift the perspective of your audience is to employ dramatic irony. This literary device lets the...
The first time you experienced the magic of storytelling, odds are it was a personal story you heard in first...
Motifs are one of the best literary devices you can have in your writer’s toolbox. Essentially, a motif is a...
Blog
What is Irony? Exploring Its Forms and Power in Storytelling
A finely developed sense of irony is a wonderful tool for a writer. In this article, I will discuss different forms of
November 19, 2025
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Blog
Point of View: Second Person
You probably haven’t read many books written in the second person perspective, maybe since your last “choose your own adventure” novel. Most
November 14, 2025
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Blog
Point of View: First Person
The first time you experienced the magic of storytelling, odds are it was a personal story you heard in first person. A
November 4, 2025
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Blog
How to Invoke Pathos in Your Writing
Pathos is a key aspect of any rhetorician’s approach to their oratory. If you are writing a speech in your novel or
October 23, 2025
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Blog
Third Person Limited – Point of View
Picking a perspective is like choosing your weapon before a gladiator match; it limits and defines your style of approach. In this
October 10, 2025
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Blog
Third Person Omniscient – Point of View
Third person omniscient POV offers writers the rare power to see into every mind and move freely across the landscape of a
October 10, 2025
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Blog
How Do I Begin?
“How do I begin?” The process of story creation is mysterious. Where do your story ideas come from? From where do your
June 21, 2024
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Blog
Hold the Story Loosely
Our idea of the story is never the whole story. The act of writing a novel, memoir, or screenplay is a way
April 4, 2024
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Blog
Humor Is Not About Writing Funny
Humor connects us. It makes us care. I don’t mean one-liners. Humor is not about jokes, but it is about human behavior.
August 18, 2023
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Blog
“Write What You Know” Can Be Misunderstood
Every writer hears the old song: “Write what you know.” This can be misunderstood. The fact is, we don’t write what we
January 27, 2023
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Blog
Asking “Why?”
Always keep your ideal reader close by in your mind asking “Why?” Our subconscious is perfectly designed for this process. It already
September 16, 2022
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Blog
On Writing Dialogue
“If you have a good ear for dialogue, you just can’t help thinking about the way people talk. You’re drawn to it.
June 2, 2022
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Blog
Developing Your Writing Technique
Technique develops over time. By reading and writing, we absorb a sense of story structure, cadence, and rhythm. We learn how
May 20, 2022
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Blog
Humor in Writing
There is nothing less funny than writing about humor. I was a standup comic for years. Every once in a while after
November 19, 2021
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Blog
Make it Dramatic
“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” – Alfred Hitchcock Story moves as the result of complications that arise, not
July 16, 2021
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Blog
3 Secrets for Getting Started on Writing Your First Novel
Every writer struggles with getting the story from imagination to the page. The first-time novelist confronts the special challenge of having never
June 10, 2021
2 Comments
Blog
Finding Your Writing Voice
I work with many first-time novelists, screenwriters, and memoirists, and the question of voice always comes up. “Do you think I have
April 8, 2021
4 Comments
Recent posts
As writers and engineers of stories, imagery is our bread and butter. In some sense, all the literary devices at...
A finely developed sense of irony is a wonderful tool for a writer. In this article, I will discuss different...
You probably haven’t read many books written in the second person perspective, maybe since your last “choose your own adventure”...
The first time you experienced the magic of storytelling, odds are it was a personal story you heard in first...
Pathos is a key aspect of any rhetorician’s approach to their oratory. If you are writing a speech in your...
Picking a perspective is like choosing your weapon before a gladiator match; it limits and defines your style of approach....
Third person omniscient POV offers writers the rare power to see into every mind and move freely across the landscape...
“How do I begin?” The process of story creation is mysterious. Where do your story ideas come from? From where...
Our idea of the story is never the whole story. The act of writing a novel, memoir, or screenplay is...
Humor connects us. It makes us care. I don’t mean one-liners. Humor is not about jokes, but it is about...
Every writer hears the old song: “Write what you know.” This can be misunderstood. The fact is, we don’t write...
Always keep your ideal reader close by in your mind asking “Why?” Our subconscious is perfectly designed for this process....
“If you have a good ear for dialogue, you just can’t help thinking about the way people talk. You’re drawn...
Technique develops over time. By reading and writing, we absorb a sense of story structure, cadence, and rhythm. We...
There is nothing less funny than writing about humor. I was a standup comic for years. Every once in a...
“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” – Alfred Hitchcock Story moves as the result of complications that...
Every writer struggles with getting the story from imagination to the page. The first-time novelist confronts the special challenge of...
I work with many first-time novelists, screenwriters, and memoirists, and the question of voice always comes up. “Do you think...
