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Articles > Writing > General Writing
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Displaying Articles 261-280 of 295
10 Tips on Writing Effective Dialogue
Author: Marg McAlister
1. Become an Eavesdropper. Listen carefully to the way people REALLY talk. They tend to talk in sentence fragments. They interrupt others. They repeat themselves. Try to get your dialogue to reflect authentic speech, but be careful not to become dull (real speech is OFTEN dull!)...
How To Filter Description Through Your Characters
Author: Marg McAlister
How do you describe a scene without slowing down the pace of your novel? What do you include? What do you leave out? Here's a neat trick: use your own experiences as a guide...
Conflict - How To Keep Your Readers Turning Pages
Author: Marg McAlister
Some writers are just too kind. They hate to put their characters under any kind of pressure. They hate to see them losing, or struggling to survive. That's quite understandable - after all, they've become friends with these people. They're cheering for them. They want them to win through!...
5 Ways to Break the Story Spell - Writing
Author: Marg McAlister
You sink back into your favourite chair with a new book in your hand. With a barely perceptible sigh of anticipation, you turn to the first page. Ah, there's nothing like starting a brand new novel...
The Many Paths to Plotting
Author: Marg McAlister
For several years before I left teaching to write full time (over a decade ago now), I was a specialist reading teacher. I dealt mainly with two categories of kids:...
How To Avoid Viewpoint Slips
Author: Marg McAlister
Sit back, and imagine what it feels like to be you. Now that shouldn't be too hard - you've lived in your own skin for a long time...
The Magic of Layout in Your Story
Author: Marg McAlister
We all need a cheer squad. We all need people to say 'Good on you!'; 'Way to go!'; 'You've done a great job'; 'You're really on the way.'..
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Plotting By Personality - Work With Your Natural Instincts
Author: Marg McAlister
"The Magic of Layout..."??? Okay... "magic" might seem a bit over the top when you first read this article title. But believe me, although it doesn't involve incantations or bubbling cauldrons, careful selection of layout does work magic on the reader...
Writing Technique: The Restaurant Syndrome
Author: Marg McAlister
Picture this scene. Your hero is sitting in a bar. He's thinking about things... life, death, taxes, the way he's being chased by a serial killer... whatever...
Plotting Problems - Episodic Writing
Author: Marg McAlister
The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears to be well-told and has appealing characters. However, the writing is episodic; the story lacks direction."...
Keys to Characterisation
Author: Aspire2write.com
Far too many inexperienced writers create flat, stereotypical characters: the brave fireman, the damsel in distress, the strict schoolmistress. The best characters are those who evoke emotions within the reader - fear, admiration, affection, laughter, horror? If the writer fails to make us care about the characters, no matter how ingenious the plot, we will toss the story aside without a second thought...
Top Ten Tips (Part 1)
Author: Elaine Currie
The following rules are essential if you want people to take you seriously...
Top Ten Tips (Part 2)
Author: Elaine Currie
Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to know before you begin.
In Your Own Words
Author: Elaine Currie
More Tips For New Writers (Part I). Explain in your own words..
Writing Your Best-Selling Non-Fiction Book Title
Author: HigherTrust Marketing
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your book, ebook,report or other information-based product each month?...
Five Keys To A Successful Query Letter
Author: Kristi Sayles
Do you know what a query letter is? If so, you are of a rare breed-a writer. Most people don't. I discovered this when I created "Instant Query Letters" software. "What's a queer letter?" they ask. The sad thing-they aren't joking...
Writing Query Letters
Author: Marg McAlister
A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent to describe a piece of writing to ask if they'd like to see it. It is sent in lieu of an unsolicited (unasked for) manuscript. (A COVER letter is a letter sent to ACCOMPANY a manuscript.)...
Getting To Know Your Characters
Author: Marg McAlister
Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important 'ingredients' in your novel...
Whose Story Is It?
Author: Marg McAlister
Whenever you sit down to plot a story (or even to think about a story) one of the first things you have to ask yourself is this: "Whose story IS it?"..
Does Your Fight Scene Pack a Punch?
Author: VMarg McAlister
Long ago, movie directors mastered the technique of creating a convincing fight scene. Bodies crash to the floor.. chairs are upended... viewers are treated to closeups of terrified or furious faces... and the punches thrown are enough to make us wince and close our eyes...
How To Write to a Word Count
Author: Marg McAlister
You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it. The plot is gripping, the characters are lively, and the pace zooms along. Great! You've done it!..
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