As an author, are you a pantser or a plotter? I define the two as follows:
Pantser: A writer who gets a story idea, sits down, and starts writing without an outline, character, or plot details. S/he develops the story as s/he writes it, often surprising...
From characters to scenes to plot lines, it is important that readers can suspend disbelief; that is, the reader believes the characters to be true to life, the scenes accurate and realistic, and the storylines possible even as they know them to be improbable or...
Let’s say you’re writing a story with a protagonist named John. He’s a frustrated golfer with a short temper. In one scene, John throws his golf cap on the living room floor and stomps on it. His wife observes John's actions and asks him a...
After the period, do you type one space? Or two? Which one is correct?
Well, historically, and yes, considering the typewriter (pre-computers) has been around for over 150 years, we can consider this an historic dilemma, two spaces was the accepted norm. One period – two...
Most writers are familiar with the six journalistic questions. The first four are who, what, when, and where. Every writer, whether they write fiction or nonfiction, needs to answer these questions in every story or book.
As a practical matter, writers almost always do answer them...
I’ve sometimes had writers ask me if they should use a pen name. I always say “perhaps,” and then ask why they’re considering it. Usually they struggle to come up with an answer, so here are a few reasons to think about using a pseudonym.
You...
You’re on this web site because you enjoy writing and hope to earn money from it. Assuming you make money you’ll need to pay tax on your earnings.
Freelancers are considered independent contractors, so in addition to Form 1040, you’ll use Schedule C (or C-EZ), “Profit...
“That’s awful,” he said, grimacing at the sordid image spray painted on the bricks. “Really awful!”
Using the word ‘awful’ more than once, the character is emphasizing his point. But what does he really mean? Does him mean ‘awful’ as in ‘dreadful?’ Or ‘awful’ as in...
One writing gaffe to be aware of is misplaced modifiers, which are sometimes called dangling modifiers. If your work inadvertently includes them, you’re sure to leave your readers scratching their heads, or worse, deciding they’re not going to try to figure out what you mean and...
We may be writers, but we’re also human. And we do make mistakes. Some of them somewhat funny; others painfully embarrassing. I recall some of the comments my editor provided for my first novel. I had some doozies in that book. I was writing about...
