This essay was originally posted to the writing community Get Your Words Out on April 23, 2020. When I volunteered to write this topic, it was as much to learn as to teach. For years, my opinion has been character=plot/plot=character; basically, you can't have one without the other. Researching this, though, has widened my perspective,… Continue reading Character-driven vs. Plot-driven stories
Tag: essays
Trello for Writers
This essay was previously posted to the writing community Get Your Words Out on March 23, 2020. To paraphrase Sports Night, I like lists because I like crossing things off them. Any organizational system that lets me check a box, cross out a line, or otherwise visualize what I've completed is A-OK by me. I've… Continue reading Trello for Writers
Developing an ensemble cast
This essay was originally posted to the writing community Get Your Words Out on July 8, 2019. Unless you're writing a literal Man vs. Self plot, your story is going to have at least two characters. Conflict! Romance! Betrayal! The internet is littered with infographics about the twenty characters you must have, articles about how… Continue reading Developing an ensemble cast
How to Write an Ending That Feels Complete
This essay was originally posted to the Dreamwidth community Get Your Words out on May 27, 2019. Small edits have been made. Endings. Oof. It's been quite a week for them, hasn't it? To be honest, I halfway want to just point you all to "Endings Are Not Stoppings" by Chuck Wendig and call it… Continue reading How to Write an Ending That Feels Complete
Writing a Serial (when you haven’t finished it yet)
This essay was originally posted to the writing community Get Your Words Out on March 29, 2019. Small edits have been made. I'll be speaking from my own experience of writing and publishing a serialized novel, Fidele*. I'll also refer to other well-known series for examples, the Harry Potter series and A Song of Ice… Continue reading Writing a Serial (when you haven’t finished it yet)
Plotting using seven plot points
This essay was originally posted to the writing community Get Your Words Out on Feb. 26, 2019. Small edits have been made. When it comes to plotting methods, there are as many examples as there are writers. I've played around with numerous methods over the years, trying to find one that works for me, and… Continue reading Plotting using seven plot points