One of those things every author needs to learn to do at some point or other is give what’s called an “elevator pitch.” Most elevator pitches aren’t actually given in elevators. They’re given at networking events, in bookstores, to friends and family, during Twitter contests, and basically whenever anybody asks “so what is your book about?” Usually the person you’re speaking to won’t be waiting for the doors to open so they can escape, but the ability to quickly spark someone’s interest in your story is invaluable.
Read moreWrite What You Know (Not Necessarily What You’ve Experienced)
"Write what you know" is a piece of writing advice that gets a lot of scrutiny and backlash.
Which, fair. It's not the least rude phrase in the world.
But I think that this writing advice exists for a reason, that it's valid, and sometimes it's just misinterpreted, by both the person giving the advice and the person receiving it.
“Write what you know” really means “write what you understand.”
Read moreRelationships Your Readers Can Get Behind
Every writer wants their readers to care not only about their characters as individuals, but about the connections between those individuals. We want to hear that they ship two characters, or that the fight between those two friends broke their heart. We want them to obsess over the slightest touch of two characters' hands.
Characters don't necessarily need to share the same interests to be compatible. A romantic partner doesn't need to be described as the most attractive person in all of existence. It's something else entirely that makes character relationships believable, relatable, and shippable.
Read moreTips for Creating Characters
On the internet, the most common advice for developing characters I’ve found is to fill out a character questionnaire. It’s everywhere. What’s the best way to get to know your character, you ask? Fill out this form, they answer.
This may work perfectly for some people, but I look at those things and die a little on the inside.
I know I can’t be the only person who hates character questionnaires, so if you’re not a fan of forms and also have no idea where to start with your character, I thought I would share my list of things I know about my characters before I start writing.
Read moreHow to Finish a Draft
If you're trying to finish writing the first draft of a book, the first thing you must do is prepare yourself mentally. This means accepting three accept three things:
- It won’t be the novel you have in your head.
- It will be the worst novel anyone has ever written.
- You can fix items 1 and 2 in the subsequent drafts.
How Scrivener Can Make All of Your (Word Processing) Dreams Come True
Like many other writers, I really really really love Scrivener. I love it so much, I've taken it upon myself to try to convert as many writers as possible over to the software: to see the light, and embrace their destiny. I give speeches about the virtues of Scrivener so often, I usually start them with "have I spoken to you about Scrivener before?"
I figure it's time to do this properly. So here is my guide for using Scrivener to make all of your (word processing) dreams come true.
Read moreHow to Pull Yourself Out of a Writing Rut
I've been trying to get a new draft of my manuscript finished since June. This hasn't been a particularly easy edit, and there have been a fair number of days where I've wanted to throw my computer into a fire pit and roast marshmallows over it.
Read more