When To Cut Something Out Of Your Manuscript
Here are some very simple benchmarks for when to cut something out of your manuscript. If you are agonizing over revisions and trying to decide whether to keep a paragraph, scene, phrase, character,...
View ArticleDialogue Masterclass
I feel like you’re all pretty thoroughly sick of me by the midpoint of Revision-o-Rama, and rightfully so. I’ve been blabbing my mouth off for quite some time. So instead of bloviating about dialogue,...
View ArticleWhat “Show, Don’t Tell” Really Means
It’s the old adage you hear in every writing class, workshop, critique group and probably on some things you’ve had edited, rejected or submitted in your lifetime. “Show, don’t tell,” says the editor...
View ArticleSitting Around and Talking
Don’t get me wrong, when my friends and I do it, I find sitting around and talking fascinating. But I don’t like too much of it in my fiction. You may have heard several writing teachers saying that...
View ArticleDialogue Spacing
I’ve been doing some critiques recently and wanted to remind writers about a few basic dialogue pointers. The most important note that I’ve been giving is that you need to put every piece of dialogue...
View ArticlePicking The Right Time
I’ve written a lot about dialogue (start here and here). Now I want to introduce the idea of keeping a scene going and picking the right time to interrupt the flow. What’s the best time to insert...
View ArticleInterruptions and Trailing Off
I was working on an edit this morning and it reminded me of a small writing issue that I see way too often in manuscripts. Now, some people have called me very strict when it comes to dialogue...
View ArticleHand-Holding in Dialogue Tags
Anyone who has worked with me knows that I take a pretty hard line when it comes to telling in dialogue tags. Examples are: “I’m so excited!” she said exuberantly. “That’s wonderful.” Coldness radiated...
View ArticleScaffolding in Scene
There are two types of writers when it comes to scene, I’ve found. One type takes a minimal approach to the stuff around the dialogue. One uses dialogue tags, adverbs, and narrative to construct...
View ArticleDialogue Tips and Dialogue Formatting
Two quick-and-dirty nuts-and-bolts dialogue tips for dialogue formatting. But dialogue in fiction has many rules to follow. Writers are always curious about formatting dialogue, or how to write it...
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