by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 25, 2019 | Writing
image by jhas Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days is now available. See details below. Writers may think characters should talk and act like real people. If a movie showed actors doing that, the theater would soon be empty. That’s why films cut to the important...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Oct 5, 2017 | Writing
Like many new writers, I thought I had to create a string of interesting events to make a good story. Some scary, some romantic, some brave, etc. I didn’t see the story as my protagonist’s journey to become someone better. Goals Now I know my protagonist’s internal...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Oct 20, 2016 | Writing
What you can learn about dialogue from actual conversations is amazing. Exercise Recall a discussion you’ve had that contained conflict. Write the dialogue down as close to what was said as you can. I had this dialogue with my husband this morning: Me:...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Sep 22, 2016 | Writing
We want our scenes to be dramatic. We want our readers to live through events with our characters and experience our characters’ emotions. However, if we slide into melodrama, we rob our readers of emotional involvement. Definition: Melodrama is: “a dramatic form that...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Aug 27, 2015 | Writing
“The skill of a skilled writer tricks you into thinking that there is no skill.” —Dwight V. Swain (Techniques of the Selling Writer)I recommend the following books on the craft of writing. Here are quotes from each to inspire you to get a copy or reread...
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