Everybody loves a good action scene! When fists go flying or cars blow up, it preys on our most primal feelings and fears. But a bad action scene is worse than no action scene at all. Whether it’s too detailed or too vague, badly written action can cause readers to groan rather than grip the edge of their seats.
So how can we write amazing butt-kicking action sequences? Continue reading
Welcome to the third week of Novel Boot Camp! This week we will be working on peer critiques. The complete list of novel openings is at the end of this post, but before we get started I want to offer a few pointers. Continue reading
We all understand the importance of contrast in our lives. You can’t know happiness without sadness. You can’t fully appreciate what you have unless you’ve had less. But writers often don’t consider how contrast is important to a successful novel.
Not only does contrast help us to put things into perspective, it’s also more entertaining. Continue reading
I’m going to break from our usual schedule and post the workshop submission page a bit earlier than usual. I would like to be able to get the bulk of this workshop organized and ready over the weekend rather than during my work week.
So for this workshop, I will not be taking submissions past the due date. You must have your submission to me by 8am EST Monday August 17th! Continue reading
Nobody wants their writing to be cliché. Nobody wants to seem as if they’re relying on tropes. And certainly nobody wants to be seen as a copycat.
Pretty much every writer wants their novel to be stunningly original.
But we also know that it is impossible to be entirely original. To write an entirely original novel would result in something that actually looks nothing like a novel at all. Continue reading
When choosing a novel or reading through the slush pile, readers, publishers, and literary agents make snap decisions about books. Below are my snap decisions about ten query letters written by Novel Boot Camp participants.
I stopped reading (and ended the excerpt) at the point that I was no longer interested in continuing. I also included comments about why the story didn’t catch my interest.
Please play along by tracking which books you would request to read based on the query. There will be a poll at the end of the post.
Volume 1 can be found here.
Volume 2 can be found here.
Writers don’t often consider theme. It’s something we tend to associate with high school literature class or Pulitzer Prizewinners. Theme can seem stuffy or contrived.
Some writers feel that themes develop organically or that they are discovered by readers or professors only after a novel is already written and out in the world. Continue reading
When choosing a novel or reading through the slush pile, readers, publishers, and literary agents make snap decisions about books. Below are my snap decisions about ten query letters written by Novel Boot Camp participants.
I stopped reading (and ended the excerpt) at the point that I was no longer interested in continuing. I also included comments about why the story didn’t catch my interest.
Please play along by tracking which books you would request to read based on the query. There will be a poll at the end of the post.
Volume 1 can be viewed here.
Twists, turns, and reveals are a great way to add mystery, intrigue, and excitement to our novels. But they can also go horribly awry. In this blog post, we’re going to explore how these elements of plot can work for you or against you.
First, let’s define our terms: Continue reading
When choosing a novel or reading through the slush pile, readers, publishers, and literary agents make snap decisions about books. Below are my snap decisions about ten query letters written by Novel Boot Camp participants.
I stopped reading (and ended the excerpt) at the point that I was no longer interested in continuing. I also included comments about why the story didn’t catch my interest.
Please play along by tracking which books you would request to read based on the query. There will be a poll at the end of the post.
Ellen Brock 