This is an index of all the posts on this blog related to the craft of writing, separated into specific subsets making it easier to find the topic you are looking for.
CHARACTERS
Character is PlotWhy the story is really just a device to reveal character.
Boring Characters
How do you keep ordinary characters interesting until the plot kicks in?
Angry Young Men
The aimless man syndrome.
You can't trust what people say...
Actions reveal character.
Sympathy for the devil
You don' have to be nice to be liked.
Choices, Decisions, Dilemmas
How to make your character's choices count.
CONSTRUCTING A STORY
Advanced Show, Improved Tell
Show and tell like you've never been taught before.
Flat Narratives
The danger of this followed by this, then this.
Story seems to be the hardest word
How do you know if your story is interesting?
Build a story, leave the door open
The importance of the unexpected.
Backstory-a-go-go
No need to tell me your life story.
Inciting interest
Why does anyone do anything?
End with an epiphany
It's the final countdown, ta-da-da-da, to-doo-doo-doo
No more nonsense
When to let the reader know what they need to know.
Point of who?
The best perspective for your story
Toil and Trouble
Problems, lots of them. That's what you need.
Need to know: the basis of all story
Suspense, tension, climax!
BETTER LANGUAGE
Behold, my powers of description!
How to use description for good instead of evil.
Passive Resistance
Is passive writing bad? Are you sure?
Seeing is believing
Emotion has to be seen to be felt.
Dead on dialogue
How to improve your ear for speech.
Maximum Minimum
Getting your money's worth out of words.
Don't ovestuff your verbs — unpack
how to put the reader in the action without using cliches.
PACE
Go with the flowSentence length drives pace.
Setting the pace
The quickest route to interesting isn't always A to B.
IDEAS
Yes, but that's just your opinion
How to give and take critique.
Take my advice
How-to book, and how to take them.
Reading writing out loud
The pros and cons of vocalising your story.
The Rewriting Blues
It gets worse before it gets better.
Feeling Failure
The power of fucking up.
Kill your darlings?
Don't be in such a rush, killer.
Optimal objects
How to make the most of inanimate objects.
Unexpected delivery
Avoid the obvious, think outside the box.
Write what you know?
Not what you think it means.
Plotting in your pants
The different approaches to the first draft. Which is right for you?
Rewrites: longer faster harder
The different approacheds to the second draft.
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