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Making a Scene: What About the Details?
“To offer readers “a break” from rising tension, you can alternate scenes of action with quieter scenes” Eleanor Bertin by Eleanor Bertin Imagine reading about one of your most ordinary days. “The sixty-four-year-old woman cast aside the rumpled sheet and fray-edged polyester blanket, swung her legs out of bed, stuffed her feet into sloppy leather… Read more »
Let’s Make a Scene!
by Eleanor Bertin Like inviting your outspoken aunt to a family dinner, writing a fictional scene anticipates that something will happen. Underlying all your meal preparations are the memories of past fiascos, the anticipation of rising tension due to words exchanged, and the dread of a final storming from the room by at least one… Read more »
Children of the King
by Brenda J. Wood Real friends, this is a short note from Princess Brenda. Somebody laughed at me the other day because I called myself Princess Brenda, but my thinking is this: God is my Lord. God is King and I am His child so if I’m the child of a king then I am… Read more »
Motifs, Symbols, and Crocheting
by Brenda J. Wood The first thought that popped into my mind was crochet. A crocheting motif is a repeated shape or stitch pattern that’s joined together to make a larger item. Surely a writing motif can’t be much different. Right? Basically, a symbol represents your idea, but a motif is an idea used repeatedly. Think of… Read more »
Developing Our Settings
By Carol Harrison She recommends stepping outside and recording everything your senses can take in. Once you choose the locale for your setting, there are other details to consider. What is the time period for your story? What season or time of day? Can your reader visualize the world you have created? What does your… Read more »
How to Create Setting in Fiction
by Carol Harrison Because setting can be anywhere, what ultimately matters is how setting influences the story. Setting creates the image for the readers of where and when the story takes place told from the viewpoint of the characters. It also provides a context for the story, whether fictional or non-fiction. Because setting can be… Read more »
What is my Story Premise?
by Steph Beth Nickel Speculating about Premise Below are the first three pages of my YA spec fiction manuscript. Just for fun, create a What if . . .? question reflecting what you think my premise may be. Reminder: On Dani Petrey’s website, she poses this What if . . .? question about Raiders of… Read more »
What is a Story Premise?
Steph Beth Nickel What do you think of when you hear the word premise? According to The Write Practice, a premise is “a single sentence summary of your central plot or argument of a story book or other kind of writing.” According to Kat of The Novel Writing Roadmap, “You should be able to express… Read more »
Christmas 2024
Greetings, Fellow InScribers! This is my last Christmas greeting as the pro blog moderator. I am thrilled to let you know that Pamela Mytroen has agreed to join the team as the new moderator. Thank you SO MUCH, Pam! I also want to thank everyone who has written for the blog over the years. I… Read more »
When to Quit and When to Pivot? by Steph Beth Nickel
Does the title make your heart race and your blood pressure increase? Quit? What do you mean quit? We’ve been taught to complete what we start, whether it’s the food on our plate or every book we pick up to read. Plus, some personality types are especially hard on themselves if they even consider pivoting,… Read more »