Lessons From the Confused Writing of Beyond Lies the Wub
Despite a confusing intro and unclear focus, this sci-fi story pulls through on its novelty.
Wordcraft: Page 5
Seven Rules of Effective Prose
How to sharpen up your word craft no matter what tale you're telling.
Narrating Layout & Position
How to get your readers into your protagonist's shoes without bogging them down with details.
Lessons From the Cinematic Writing of I Am Number Four
Too much telling and a lack of emotion hinder what could have been a tense opening.
Episode 66: Show and Tell
Ariel, Chris, and Oren describe the difference between showing elaborate spectacle and simply telling what happens.
Lessons From the Awkward Writing of The Sword of Truth
A lack of focus and a tell-over-show mindset hamstring this fantasy story's opening.
Breaking the Curse of Distant Perspective
Why you should kick this instinctual writing habit—and what you should replace it with.
Lessons From the Bad Writing of Battlefield Earth
A lack of context and a meandering focus run a good idea into the ground.
Renovate Your Sentences With Active Phrasing
How to ensure your every sentence packs just the punch it needs to.
Lessons From the Bad Writing of The Mortal Instruments
Clunky dialogue and a lack of context bog down this spooky opening.
Forty Four Words to Seek and Destroy
You don't need a guided missile, just a red pen and a careful eye.
Episode 53: Of Points and Views
Ariel joins Chris and Oren for a discussion about perspective and point of view.
Lessons From the Terrible Writing of Eragon
Poor word choice and a comical villain hinder this fantastical story's opening.
Lessons From the Terrible Writing of Sword of Shannara, Chapter 1
A meandering, flair-over-substance approach spoils this Tolkienesque opening.
Ten Quick Style 101 Exercises
Try these tricks for spicing up your sentences.
Conveying Character Emotion
How to make your protagonist's feeling pop out of the page.
Pacing Your Dialogue
How your characters' conversations can pump up the drama.
Shaping the Sound of Your Dialogue
How to craft your conversations to sound realistic on the page.
Labeling Your Dialogue
How to keep your tags important while making them invisible.
Should You Show or Tell?
How far you should zoom your story in—and when you should zoom out.
GeniusLemur