Category: Technicalities

  • The Long and the Short of It

    Most readers believe writing a collection of short stories is easier than writing a novel. They surmise fewer words represent reduced complexity. With this initial…

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  • From Telling to Showing

    Writers of fiction are consistently told, and rightfully so, to “show, don’t tell.” In other words, a reader wants to see the story unspool, not…

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  • Somewhere Below the Top

    Several weeks ago I was speaking with a friend who is in the throes of completing a debut novel. A beta reader, who is an…

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  • World-building vs. Setting

    A recent writers workshop conversation surfaced the difference between world-building and setting. To be honest, I’d not thought much about it, but the distinction is…

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  • You Erase More Than You Draw

    My friend Frank told me he heard some excellent advise on writing from an art instructor. Advising students on drawing, the instructor said, “you erase…

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