Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.
I know, I know. We share a lot of “show don’t tell” posts. But in my defence, I think it is one of those subjects that seems easy until you try and do it and this is a really great post by at Pub Crawl. She has some excellent examples.
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The Basics of Show Don’t Tell
by Hi all; Julie here! Today’s post goes back to basics with a discussion of Show Don’t Tell. (For other approaches to this rule, you can read JJ’s piece on balancing the mix of showing and telling, Pub Crawl alum Susan Dennard’s post on using showing and telling on macro and micro levels, and Kat’s approach to when to show and when to tell.) There are few rules of craft that can be applied to a draft that will lift the level of the writing with the same effect as this simple rule. With every first draft I write, I find I fall into the lazy habit of telling, and with each revision, I look for places I can show more. Some basic rules are basics for good reason. 🙂
- Writing that “shows” creates a mental image and lets the reader draw conclusions about what’s happening.
- Writing that “tells” explains what’s happening and provides the writer’s own conclusions.
For example:
Betcha thought we’d lost our marbles. Fractals? Romance writing? Carrie, you’ve gone over the deep end! Hang on, before you send me to the rubber room read Nina Harrington‘s post first!
I like unlikable characters, dammit! Always have, even before I was writing them myself, and they can always use a champion.
What’s better? To be a jack of all trades or to specialize in a particular skill? Naturally, there are arguments for either choice depending upon the circumstance. Let’s say you’re an athlete and have suffered torn cartilage in your knee; you’ll want to consult with an orthopedic surgeon. After all, they’re experts at what they do. So why is it as authors, we don’t seek out experts? Why do so many of us try to do it all?
Impostor syndrome isn’t a new concept, it’s something most people will encounter during their life. For a writer, impostor syndrome manifests itself in our psyche, laying a veil of self-doubt over our thoughts and actions. We continually feel our writing is inadequate and rubbish, and that nothing we write will be good enough. Ever.
Think of a press kit as a compilation album of your marketing materials, plus a few more goodies.
by Jenny Bravo
Covers Can Make or Break a Book
If you’re an author who has finished a manuscript, chances are, you may have seen the term ‘structural edit’ floating around. Perhaps you’ve even been told to have an editor look over your book for ‘structural’ issues.
Back in June, I caught that nasty flu that was going around and spent a few miserable weeks napping and watching a lot of TV. One of my distractions of choice was the show, 
often feel as natural and effortless as laughter. Right after wondering why the book didn’t come with a warning label about drinking milk while reading, you might even imagine that writing comedic material is easy. The truth is that writing great, silly fiction is hard, but it’s a skill you can hone if you’re willing to put in the same kind of effort you’d put into writing great serious fiction. So here are seven serious tips for writing a silly novel.