CRAFT
Exposition as ammunition – how to transform flat dialogue
Have you discovered exposition as ammunition? It’s one of the most powerful exposition techniques in creative writing, and is often used in dialogue. Here’s the lowdown and how to use it. Exposition as ammunition examples I first came across exposition as ammunition during drama rehearsals. A director used the phrase to describe a line of…
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Writing sense of smell – sensory writing 2
Sensory writing is a great way to bring your readers close, whatever your writing form – fiction, poetry, scripts or copywriting. This article suggests how writing sense of smell can help create a more vivid sense of immersion in your fictional world. Other senses such as touch and hearing are powerful in their own ways,…
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Writing technique – are you puppeting your fiction characters?
Puppeting is a common issue in fiction writing. It means the characters seem a bit lifeless and mechanical, without a vivid sense of action and flow. Usually, it just means the author hasn’t yet worked out how to weave action, description and dialogue effectively together. Here’s an overview of the puppeting problem, and how to…
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Book review: Ray Bradbury – Zen in the Art of Writing
Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing is a bolt of pure creative adrenaline. More than any other writer, for me he captures the excitement of reading and writing at a young age, and a sense of calling. If you ever feel jaded or run out of writing steam, Bradbury’s book will get you…
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Review: The Bestseller Code by Archer-Jockers – gamechanger for writers?
The Bestseller Code by Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers is a fabulous book if you’re a geeky writer like me. It has loads of delicious graphs and images, mind-numbing academic findings, and basically blows the field of “how can computers help writers?” wide open. But is it a game-changer? Here’s a clue: I started reading…
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Writing technique – secrets of dramatic action
Why are car chases boring? Because they’re undramatic! In dramatic writing, “dramatic action” has a particular definition. It means action with a clear, urgent motivation behind it. Action that lacks intention is simply movement, and scenes without it turn out somehow flat, even if they’re full of energy on the surface. Once you’ve grasped the…
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Deliberate practice writing – how to improve your technique faster
Deliberate practice writing is a fast, effective way to improve. Just as musicians practise scales and golfers practise their swing systematically, writers, too, can practise the nuts and bolts of craft. It’s easy to do, too. Simply break your process down into steps, and repeat those small elements until they feel familiar and natural.…
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Deliberate practice for writers
How do you become a genius? With ‘deliberate practice’! It works in the fields of music, art, sport, even tech – so why not in creative writing? The buzz around deliberate practice really took off with Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success, and the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery in…
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What is Method Writing?
It’s a writing approach where you try living like your character – similar to method acting. It’s a form of deep research where you immerse yourself in their experiences, so you can write more authentically. Training as a boxer in order to write as a boxer, for example.
What’s the definition of method writing?
The Urban Dictionary defines a “method writer” as an author who uses a technique of writing in which he/she identifies emotionally with a character in the story and assumes that character’s persona in the telling.
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Creative writing hooks – 5 powerful techniques to try
Creative writing hooks can grab your readers’ attention! Here are some tips and strategies for creating powerful hooks. Writing hook 1 – Flip normality Jesse was deeply in love with a tree.The woman walked across the water.It had unusually large wings for a dog. Why does this technique work? Because we’re wired to notice the…
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