7 Steps to Shaping a Strong Protagonist
It’s an age-old question. What came first: the chicken or the egg? The plot or the protagonist? What if the shaping of the story and your main character happens at the same time?
Tag: plot
-
Editing vs. Revising: The Real Difference
You’ve reached the point in the writing process where it’s time to make some serious changes. Congratulations! Now it’s time to pick up that red pen and make some small and big alterations to your…
Are We Overthinking Our Writing?
As I write this, a beautiful golden retriever lays at my feet with her duck toy. Yes, her name is Marnie. And no, she is not my dog. I am currently hanging out…
What Traveling Does For Your Writing
I had to get away. See, after five weekends of cat-sitting, I was getting antsy. All my travel plans were shelved so that my friends could go off on exciting adventures across the country. The…
Credit: surrey.ac.uk What Most Writing MFA Programs Don’t Teach
Getting into my Writing MFA program was one of the happiest moments in my life. I was accepted into my school of choice and I had the luxury of delaying the real world for another…
Credit: churchsermonseriesideas.com Is It A Story Or A Story Idea?
As I creative writer, I hear this often: “I have a story for you to write.” “I’m listening,” I’ll say. “It’s about a blind man who regains his sight, but then loses his hearing.” “Then…
Credit: last.fm Want Your Characters To Want
If you’re struggling with plot structure, take a playwriting class. One of the first things you learn, before stage directions and sharpening dialog, is developing a plot. It boils down to this: Character One wants…
Writing a Complex Plot: A Soap Opera Study
Here’s my confession: I love watching soap operas. It’s not what you think. It started last summer while I was still unemployed. My mom turned it on just to catch up on the whos and…
Making Time to Write
After sitting down at my favorite café table (by a window, of course) while setting up my supplies and sipping a mocha, I did what I hadn’t done in a long time–I continued writing my…