When you look at this picture, what do you see? Do you see a picture of a beautiful, but shy, younger woman or do you see the old hag-like woman? Sometimes the words in the sentences we write are similar to this illusion. The writer may mean something totally...
Writing to spec – you’ve heard the term. It means writing what the publisher wants. Can you do it? In our new feature – Make-A-Story™, we ask you to create a story with these elements. The story can be set in any time frame, any length,...
Deep point of view (DPOV) is the new trend in fiction. This is not to say that all authors will want to use this style, however, I don’t know why they would not want to at least infuse a bit of this element into their storytelling. It takes point of view (POV) to a...
In everyday life, people normally strive for as few complications as possible. We plan ahead. We prepare. We come up with menus and grocery lists, and wash soccer uniforms for Saturday’s game. We even worry, as if considering all the negative scenarios will help us...
This week, I had a budding author ask me about the latest release by a bestselling novelist. She has read previous offerings from this author, and she had never noticed the problems she found in his current work. She has been studying the elements of storytelling, she...
Writing to spec – you’ve heard the term. It means writing what the publisher wants. Can you do it? In our new feature – Make-A-Story™, we ask you to create a story with these elements. The story can be set in any time frame, any length,...
Clichés. We’ve all heard about them. Most writers cringe when an editor or critique partner points out a cliché line like “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Sometimes it’s best to delete a cliché from a manuscript, but sometimes just the right line will allow an...
Writing to spec – you’ve heard the term. It means writing what the publisher wants. Can you do it? In our new feature – Make-A-Story™, we ask you to create a story with these elements. The story can be set in any time frame, any length,...
Conflict-conflict-conflict. If you plan to write a scene without it, stop. We avoid conflict in real life. In fiction, conflict is the one element that has your readers turning the pages of a novel. Some authors mistakenly believe that conflict has to be physical....
Writing to spec – you’ve heard the term. It means writing what the publisher wants. Can you do it? In our new feature – Make-A-Story™, we ask you to create a story with these elements. The story can be set in any time frame, any length,...
Pelican Book Group Official Blog
