Category: Writing Tips
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Five Characteristics of Great Speculative Fiction
Speculative fiction explores the unknown, the impossible, and the extraordinary. The genre (which includes fantasy, science fiction, horror, superhero fiction, dystopian, utopian, and other stories with supernatural and/or futuristic elements) allows us to venture into the uncharted territories of our imagination, and delve into worlds that challenge our understanding of what is possible. I write…
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Infographic: Punctuation Problems
Commas, semicolons, and colons…oh my! You’re not really sure which one to use, but you know your sentence needs something to help it make sense. As any writer knows, the punctuation you use can mean the difference between a clearly written sentence and a clunky sentence that makes little to no sense. Below are a…
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First-Person POV: The Good and the Bad
“The truth is, I hate not being the first person narrator all the way through! To paraphrase David Copperfield, I don’t know whether I’m the hero or the victim of this tale. But either way, shouldn’t I dominate it?” ― Anne Rice, The Queen of the Damned As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a sucker for third-person point-of-view…
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3rd Person POV: Pros and Cons
Maisie wasn’t sure if she was hearing voices outside her room or actually going crazy. Have you ever vacillated between which point-of-view to use for your story? I sure have. I’m a sucker for third-person and the old-fashioned feel of it (although, I want to be edgy enough to try second-person someday). Typically, I opt…
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The Illusions of Dialogue – Guest Post by Jesse Teller
I came from a family of storytellers, I mean, gifted storytellers. They could pick you up and lift you into a tale like none other I have ever known. I apprenticed under them, and it made me the writer I am. I have been telling stories all my life and writing for most of my…
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Every Sentence Matters…
A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? George Orwell
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The Wonderful World of Semicolons and Colons
Semicolons and colons. Where do I begin? I often see people run amok with semicolons (;) and colons (:), constantly using them like commas. At other times, it seems as if many folks believe colons and semicolons are interchangeable. Let me set something straight right now: semicolons and colons are not interchangeable! You wouldn’t consider…
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Common Comma Problems, Pt. 3
Commas, commas, commas. They really are some annoying little jokers, aren’t they? Commas can mean the difference between a clearly written sentence and a sentence that makes little to no sense. Let’s take a look at a few more general rules of comma usage:
Waking Writer 