Read moreAvoid hyper-realism in your writing.
Read moreIf you’re planning to write a multiple POV story, stop. Ask yourself: does this story require multiple POVs? If so, why?
Are Cliffhangers Evil?
I recently watched the PBS Masterpiece mini-series, Endeavour. You might be familiar with Inspector Morse from the Colin Dexter books or the Mystery series. Endeavour portrays Inspector Morse as a young Detective Constable in the 1960s. It’s free on Amazon Prime,...
Action Scenes: Clarity vs. Pacing
There is a special balancing act to be accomplished when writing action scenes. Think of a teeter-totter and put Clarity on one seat and Pacing on the other. Generally speaking, the faster the action occurs, the more you have to slow it down to make it work on the...A Brief Overview of Point of View
Face it, we could fill a graduate seminar with Point of View; it’s that complex a matter. So I was being silly when I went to teach on Wednesday, and I thought I’d just give a brief overview of POV, then move on to the Plot unit. The students had lots of questions....
Imagery in Your Writing
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is one of those old adages that holds true. It might seem skewed in favor of painters and photographers, but before you declare me a traitor, hear why it’s true for your writing as well. Fiction and nonfiction. Think of your...I'm Alida
I help people express their gifts to the world.
I do not believe in formulas. I believe that the stories we are compelled to tell the world make demands on us, and it is our privilege to meet those demands in order to reach the most people in the most authentic and compelling way possible.
