In grade school, I was taught to remember what allegory was by thinking of it as an alligator – something you can’t see by looking at the water, but it’s there nonetheless. In HTRYN lesson 8, Holly discusses why you … Continue reading
Holly’s style of world building includes such strange objects as wallpaper, blinkies, shin-bangers, sets, props, and gimmicks. These items aren’t always as cut-and-dried as we expect, and sometimes it can be difficult, especially with gimmicks, to figure out exactly what we … Continue reading
This member of How to Revise Your Novel started the course without a lot of hope for her novel. She says: On top of which: before I started this lesson, I was beginning to think my novel was BROKEN BEYOND … Continue reading
In Week 5 of How to Revise Your Novel, the search is on for Conflict, because without it, there is no scene. Sometimes conflict is missing, but sometimes it’s just hard to recognize. Conflict isn’t always raised voices or raised fists. … Continue reading
Remember when National Novel Writing Month was in November? You know what they say–if you can remember November, then you weren’t doing NaNo right. Ah. NaNo, like so many other good things in life, has expanded. And if April’s Camp … Continue reading
A major milestone for any writer comes during revision. It’s the point at which you have finished rereading, analyzing, and planning, and you’re going to actually start the cut – dismantling your novel so you can reassemble it. You really … Continue reading
When you’re writing your story, often just going full speed ahead, scene by scene, is the best thing to do. It makes it easy to keep track of your characters, your plotlines, and any twists while you’re getting your story … Continue reading
Often as we write, we discover that there are things we don’t know that our characters really ought to know. Or we might be writing in a setting and want to make sure the details are right. Often writers will … Continue reading
Must the writer know the ending of his story before he begins to write? This member doesn’t feel comfortable with the idea of beginning a story without knowing the ending. Do you? Or do you discover it as you write? … Continue reading
As writers, we have already made commitments and sacrifices for our craft. But sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we really are writers. We need to make room for our writing and make it a high priority. What better … Continue reading