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How to find value in common writing advice
Common writing advice can frustrate us. Why can't we use adverbs? What's wrong with passive voice? Here's how to find value in s
Jun 25, 20196 min read

5 tips for writing your novel in Word
I have a love-hate relationship with Word. It drives me insane, but I still love it as a tool for writing my novel. Since first using it, I&
Jun 17, 20194 min read

8 ways to trim your novel’s word count
You’ve finished your novel. And it’s a bigger beast than you expected it to be. Huge. Here's how to trim unnecessary words and get it in
Jun 4, 20195 min read

To prologue or not to prologue?
Rumour has it that agents and publishers hate prologues. Is that true? Who knows, but they certainly hate *bad* prologues. Here's how to
May 9, 20196 min read

Using tropes: new stories from old parts
Did you ever hear that there are only seven basic plots? And within those seven plots, we repeat the same tropes. So how can we write origin
May 1, 20194 min read

A writer’s guide to point of view
The key to writing good PoV is choice, consistency and clarity. Decide which perspective works for your story, stick with it, and do it clea
Apr 23, 20195 min read

Writing stronger dialogue part 3: character voice
How can you give your characters authentic voices so they sound like real humans when they talk? Here are 5 tips to help.
Feb 18, 20194 min read

Writing Stronger Dialogue Part 2: formatting
Writing stronger dialogue requires clear formatting. Here are some general rules of thumb to follow.
Feb 5, 20195 min read

Writing Stronger Dialogue Part 1: speech and action tags
Done right, dialogue can make even the most mundane scene exciting. But writing good dialogue isn't easy so our first lesson is on dialo
Jan 28, 20194 min read
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