Some years ago, I took an online mystery-writing class. The one helpful takeaway for me was what I’ll call the Wheel of Tension, which moves the plot along. This is not limited to mystery writing; it works for all fiction and non-fiction. The Wheel of Tension is this: A situation … Read More
Imagine a typical conflict in fiction: A wife goes on a shopping spree and spends a large portion of their money and attempts to hide it from her husband. Unfortunately for her, her husband catches her at one of the high-end stores she’s perusing. Unfortunately for him, it’s because he’s … Read More
In the course of writing, we often search for the proper way to express the feelings of a character. It may be tragedy, joy, or a simple daily experience that defines the moment, but the hunt for the right word or phrase to convey that sentiment may not achieve a … Read More
You’ve probably read books on writing fiction and found most of them only marginally helpful. And if you know of one that does more, let us know. That’s what I’m about to do. I stumbled across one that does more some months ago. I almost passed it up because of … Read More