Mike, police procedurals, draws the short straw, so our critique group acts out his story to find flaws. I hit the john, load my Beretta, ready to raise the stakes. Tessa, horror (writing and life!), joins me enthusiastically. Lona is new, yet, ironically, historical. She’ll acquiesce. Ali, noir, is a guest, so a mystery. Replaces […]
We’ve all heard the rule to “show, don’t tell.” Heck, we’ve talked about it here. So, is it ever okay to tell instead of show? As a matter of fact, there are some particular circumstances where it’s better to tell. After all, we’re called storytellers, right? Showing engages the reader, so try to show as […]
Act I We were in love. Just hadn’t admitted it yet. I arrived on time—that is, early—for her party. Toured her apartment. Her highlight: Chekhov’s gun on the mantle. Certificate of authenticity on letterhead. Act II Twice, we made eye contact across the crowded space. Grinned. In the kitchen, I brushed against her. Power died […]
Excise weak adverbs; insert strong verbs. Did you know the road to hell is paved with adverbs? Stephen King told us that. If you’re ready to punch up your writing, culling out adverbs is a good place to start. (Just like the passive voice, there’s a time and place for adverbs, but generally you can […]
Let’s begin our agent Janet Reid flash retrospective. This was the first entry I ever wrote for one of her contests. For the uninitiated, the way they worked was she spotted us 5 words that must be in the story and we had no more than 100 words to tell the tale. Six-Word Story by […]
Why “Show, Don’t Tell” is important for a writer The only thing you can’t do to your reader is bore them. They’ll be okay getting confused, assuming you clear things up soon enough. They’ll be fine looking up words they don’t know. They’ll be grateful when you throw them a twist they hadn’t anticipated. But […]
I learned flash fiction through Janet Reid’s contests. Placed in many, earned some finals, even won a few. They taught me the importance of every sentence, every word. Remember Vonnegut: Every sentence must advance the action or reveal character. With 100 words, that rule sticks. Note, Janet was not my agent. That honor (or curse, […]
Compelling Characters, Part II Let’s talk about the motivations for your character. Think about Kurt Vonnegut’s brilliant advice that every character in your scene should want something, even if it’s only a glass of water. If you have someone in your scene and they don’t want something … you might want to write them out […]
Compelling characters In general, it’s wise to describe your character when they first enter your story. (There are exceptions, of course, and all rules here can be broken. ) You want your reader to be able to picture your character as early as possible. Just like grounding the reader with your setting, showing some detail […]
I was just a kid when my uncle’s wife went missing one winter. When I got my license, he asks me will I work for him. In his house, there’s two of everything. “His & hearse,” he says. Except there’s only one shovel. “Broke mine,” he tells me. “Ground gets hard ’round these parts.” He […]
JD Frain 