Category: novel writing

  Stop Describing Characters in One Word   The Rewrite The Advice That Might Be Hurting Your Novel Here’s a piece of writing advice you’ve probably heard before: “Sum up your character in one word.” Lazy. Kind. Evil. Funny. It sounds useful. Clean. Efficient. And it might be quietly weakening your entire novel. Because the…

Having an Object Represent the Arc What if you could show a character’s entire emotional journey… without them saying a word? As writers, we’re often told that characters need an arc—that they must change. A story where the character ends exactly as they began can feel flat, leaving the reader wondering: what was the point?…

The Character Arc in Jaws No One Talks About Most people think they know why Jaws works. They’ll point to the shark.Or the music.Or the direction. They’re not wrong. But they’re not right either. Because the real reason Jaws works… is something most viewers never notice. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it….

When Too Much Writing Hurts Your Story Most writers worry about not writing enough. But the opposite problem can quietly damage a story just as much. It’s called overwriting. And many writers don’t realize they’re doing it.   Underwriting vs. Overwriting Most writers understand underwriting. That’s when a story lacks the basic information readers need….