Using Comparisons Brings Life to Dead Adjectives Whether you are writing a short story, a novel, or a non-fiction essay, you will need to give description, and often times to do so you will use comparison. It’s been said that “nothing means anything except as compared to something else”. In other words, if you say, […]
Archives for February 2010
Writing Lesson 24 – Unique Character Voices
February 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Today we’ll focus on your character’s speech and mannerisms. In past lessons, we’ve discussed external and internal goals, core values and conflicts, physical details, and personality traits. Another layer in a character’s personality is speech. Each layer adds depth and makes your reader feel as if they know this person. Readers sometimes see themselves in […]
Writing Lesson 23 – Framing Your Story
February 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Story Structure Structure in your story is like the frame of a house. It both holds it together and gives it shape. Sometimes we creative types don’t appreciate the word structure. We may view it as something to stifle our imagination. However, structure doesn’t need to bind you, and it can be an essential tool […]
Writing Lesson 22 – The Color Editors Hate
February 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Purple Prose It may be a pretty popular color for your bedroom if you’re a teenager, or it may look awesome on an electric guitar, but for a writer, the color purple is to be shunned. I’m talking about a figurative color, something that we call “purple prose”. Purple prose is language that is over […]
