Are your stories too exciting? Are they keeping your readers up past their bedtimes? Are they causing book clubs to swoon? Well, fear not, gentle writer, for I have compiled a list of 10 ways you can suck the energy right out of your writing. If your dream is to craft a story so boring […]
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When Storms and Direful Thunders Break
Lighting, of course, is an essential part of any stage performance. Usually, the lighting is planned and provided by the play’s director and stage crew. Last week, at a performance at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, something else was at hand. I’d gone with a friend to see of The Two Gentlemen of Verona on the […]
Fire Up Your Writing Energy – Bar Scene
Writing can go through seasons—some seasons are hot and fast, filled with fireworks, while others are cold and sluggish, like a Sunday morning in December. After one of those cold, unproductive seasons, getting back to our computers to do some fiction writing can feel like a sun-kissed reward for having survived all those lost gloves […]
Just-In-Time World Building – On the RMFW Blog
This week, I’m blogging on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ blog. Hop over there to read “Just-In-Time World Building” for tips on letting your story’s world unfold as your characters encounter it.
Are Your Settings Stuck In a Rut?
by Kelley Lindberg As humans, we often fall into ruts. We go to the same place for lunch more than we should admit. We read the same types of books and watch the same types of TV shows. We shop at the same stores and rotate through the same recipes for dinner every week. […]
Using Voice to Establish Mood
by Kelley Lindberg Voice – it’s that elusive, yet all-important quality that makes your book uniquely yours. It’s how you observe and write about things. It’s the language you use. It’s the language your characters use. It’s the details that you choose to expound upon, the emotions you sketch upon the page, and the pacing […]