Re-writing / Self-editing As we consider story structure, we’ve compared it to laying the groundwork and frame for a house. We’ve planned (plotted), followed the blueprint (kept theme in mind), searched for incongruities in structure (those scenes, voices, or characters that just don’t fit), and revealed backstory clues. But when we get to the re-writing […]
Writing Lesson 3.14-Well! That’s Odd…
November 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If all goes as planned, this week we’ll begin remodeling our new home. Let me share a picture that I think ties in with our writing lessons–a Spanish Mission arch on the fireplace, a Dutch door, and a Colonial mantle! This struck me as odd the first time I saw it, but I couldn’t figure […]
Writing Lesson 3.13-Adding Adventures
November 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
We started the year with a post on Story Engineering. With two contributors in the midst of home renovations, it’s no wonder if our posts about plotting a story keep drawing analogies to architecture. We’ve likened genre to architectural style. We’ve said that themes and motifs provide a sense of form and function to the […]
Writing Lesson 3.7-Who is Pilcrow?
October 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I want to introduce my new best friend. We met when I formatted my novel, Grow Old With Me, for publication in various eBook formats. Meet ¶ also known as Pilcrow. This mark should become your best friend too. Pilcrow shows the end of each paragraph and opens access to other non-printing characters in a […]
Writing Lesson 3.6-The Plot Thickens
September 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Sandra Orchard has been our guest contributor this month. She “forgot” to mention in her bio that her unpublished manuscript won the Daphne DuMaurier Award in 2009. I don’t need to tell you that’s a pretty big deal! She sold her first story to Love Inspired Suspense the next year. If you’d like to read […]
