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- Writing Techniques
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A First Paragraph Template
At some point, someone's going to accuse me of being formulaic. How exactly is…
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Assume the World
Second, the world has to be immediate. It’s got to be all right there,…
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Being a Weirdo and…
Bring up that weird thing that you think is so odd no one will…
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Commonality Creates Reader Identification
State that common human quality or experience up front as a hook in your opening paragraphs.…
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Creating Reader Identification
Don’t confuse reader identification with creating likable characters. That’s one way of getting your reader…
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Creating the World and…
Work with facts, not conclusions. Focus on your sensory details. Run down a list of…
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Final Thoughts on Reader…
A few final pointers. First, defer a physical description of the character until you’ve established that…
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If You Don't Take…
An egomaniac with an inferiority complex: sound familiar?If that glove feels just a little too much…
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More on the "As…
The “As you know, Admiral,” syndrome is quite common in technothrillers. Heck, I’ve done it…
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Nine Approaches to First…
Interesting article on opening paragraphs and various categories -- might spin up your imagination if…
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Pyrrhic Victories
Second technique for reader identification: set up one of those strange contradictions of being human…
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Selling Blue Pigs
Sell the small details, sell the big world. NOT the other way around. This…
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Smells and Bells and…
Common problem: a writer decides to tell a story in first person and then…
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Tech Stack for Dictating
I've been dictating first drafts for years. If you learn how to do it, it'll…
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Techniques for Suspending Disbelief
First, create complete worlds, not partial ones. You can’t sell the world if you don’t…
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The Echo Technique
Flow. It’s the key to writing a story that keeps your readers turning pages…
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The First Three Paragraphs…
Within the first three paragraphs of your manuscript, you must: 1. hook your reader…
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The Other Ways to…
Okay, a quick review. In the first few paragraphs of your manuscript, you need to…
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Three Ways to Hook…
• Explosion: The DaVinci Code. Strong verbs, violence, action, set up the exotic locale and bigger…
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What Your Character Really…
Remember, we're still on creating reader identification. Think about this now. Caste the human…
