Years ago, there was a commercial about how many licks it took to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. Remember it? https://youtu.be/O6rHeD5x2tI?si=ZyN5Ifql3BzxeDaM So now the question is, how many full rewrites does it take to finish a novel? Answer: As many as it takes. Still working on Denizen, folks. Sorry. Be patient. …
Continue reading "Do you Remember?"
Just as the beginning starts where things change, the ending should end where things return to normal, or near enough. In stand-alone novels, all loose strings are tied in a nice bow. The ending reminds us of what happened at the beginning. Things that were important there need to be important at the end too. …
Continue reading "It’s a Wrap"
Most novice writers give up when they get to the middle. They just don't know what to do. It bores them with all the tedium of the journey. Nothing much happens. Maybe. Or maybe not. Like in the beginning, each chapter, each page, each paragraph has to lead the reader to the next. Unlike the …
Continue reading "Middle Mayhem"
It sounds funny to say this, but the beginning needs to be in the beginning. By that, I mean the story starts either when things deviate from the normal, or just before. Personally, I like to find the deviation moment and take two steps back from that. This puts the deviation moment roughly right at …
Continue reading "Beginning with the Beginning"
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