Posts by wordsworth
I have to disagree with Mark's thesis that modern writers shouldn't waste their time trying to use symbols and develop their own. I think you can, and that it is worthwhile. What is a symbol? Def...
Why this is difficult: dramatic conventions If a description of something is unique and also can't be observed incidentally by the reader, as with a character's highly unusual physical features, y...
The first page of your novel is vitally important, but not necessarily because the action starts there. The first page, and first several pages, should: set your tone and reader expectations. In ...
All of these answers are correct. I think this is a more technical way to look at it, which may give you some better direction: All of dialogue has a rhythm, and people reading the dialogue will ...
As I was trying to find my own answers, I thought for a while about changing my settings in order to satisfy the theme and characters. This wasn't working for my story because it was so difficult t...
If what you really want is a visual reference: Use a web-based image-gathering tool like Pinterest to collect images of all the things you want to include in a scene. Interior stock photos and lan...
I am writing a book in which one of my main characters is a devout Catholic. His struggles with reconciling his religion and his experiences in life are crucial to his character and I'd like to por...
I think there are many factors in deciding whether to edit hymns, and there are usually good reasons to take a conservative approach, i.e., if it isn't broken don't fix it. Religion loves traditi...
When writing a story, how do you find a good balance between the significance of different elements, such as plot, themes, and bold settings and characters, and the character arcs? In my case I ha...
What sites, libraries, or other organizations have strong, easy-to-browse collections of letters, diaries, and other primary sources that are great for authors doing research for historical fiction...
