 This post originally appeared in Deborah’s blog and is used here with permission. Read on to see how Dorian Gray is similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and about horror tropes and conventions.
Writing The Midnight Files [formerly on Kindle Vella, currently unpublished] has had some interesting effects on the way I view stories.
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 This post originally appeared in Deborah’s blog and is used here with permission.
One of the best pieces of writing advice I’ve ever heard is this: if you want to have a character react with an emotion, take a moment and act out that emotion. For example, for anger, you might think really, really hard about something that makes you angry, so that your whole body reacts—and then you observe. How has your face moved? What are your hands doing? What are your legs doing? Your feet?  I like to think of action, dialogue, and description as the three “macronutrients” of writing. Just like with nutrition, when all three are present, you digest the scene much better. So today I’m going to discuss how to balance dialogue, description, and action in your book to make it more palatable to readers.
(If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.)  Today I’m going to finish talking about how to write great description in your book. In Part 1 of this double post, I talked about how description provides an anchor point for the reader, sets the pacing, and adds beauty to the text. In this second part, I’ll conclude with the other two things description does and how to use them effectively.
(If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.)  “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December / And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.” And of course my favorite line: “And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain / Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before.” . . . Let’s talk about writing great description in your book.
(If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.)  Today I’m going to be discussing dialogue, dialogue tags, and how to write great dialogue in your book.
Joshua walked into the room. “How’s the coffee?” he said. “It’s fine,” said Charlene. “Is it hot enough?” Joshua asked. Charlene took a sip. “Yes, it’s hot enough,” she said. “Good,” said Joshua, and went to make himself some tea. . . . If you want me to be interested in that dialogue right there, I had SO better know that the coffee is poisoned. (If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.)  Want to put your reader on the absolute edge of their seat, trembling to read more? Let’s talk about building tension in your book.
(If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.)  Today I’m going to finish talking about how to edit your own book. In Part 1 of this double post, I covered critiques and rewriting. In this second part, I’ll finish with getting a second critique and reading your book aloud.
(If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.)  Today I’m going to be talking about how to edit your own book. Now, I am going to give you a step-by-step process, but before we get into that, I would like to go over what I will and will not be covering, along with a slight disclaimer.
(If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.)  Today I’m going to be talking about what makes a great ending for a book. The typical folk-wisdom for how to write a great ending is that great endings leave the reader satisfied but wanting more. And I would say that this is 100% correct, although I will add that great endings should also always involve an element of twist.
(If you’d like to view this post in video format, click here. It’s part of our “Advice from an Editor” series on YouTube.) |
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