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 | Sep 15, 2016 | Writing
Definition Inciting Incident. Incite: “to urged to action; instigate; stir up.” (Webster Illustrated Contemporary Dictionary) The inciting incident is an event in which something happens to the protagonist that changes his everyday life. It creates an opportunity for...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jun 30, 2016 | Writing
Last week, I posted on writing blog content faster. But in some important ways, writing your story faster differs from writing blog content faster. Here are suggestions for writing stories faster.Before You WriteAsk, “What am I saying to myself?”Is it something like,...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Feb 11, 2016 | Writing
“I look for ways to purposely write myself into corners and then use them to my advantage.” —Steven James (Writer’s Digest July/August 2015) While writing a scene, I realized it was turning into a cliché for a Christmas story. Snow falls and the couple builds a...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Feb 4, 2016 | Writing
“Characters reveal themselves more vividly in what they do and say than in what they think and feel.” —David Corbett Note the above quote from “Characters, Scene by Scene,” by David Corbett in the January 2015 Writer’s Digest issue. Corbett explains that actions show...
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