Writing Craft: Character Development Chart

One of my favorite writing activities is creating characters. 

A skilled writer will take time before writing to develop their characters. You must learn as much as possible about them.  When you know your characters well, you will have a better idea of :

• what they will say
• how they will react to a situation
• what they are likely to do.

Writing Craft: Setting

Everybody’s gotta be somewhere!

When you are crafting a story, you need to put your characters somewhere.  You need to paint a verbal picture. If your reader can’t see it in their minds, they can’t go there. 

Writing Craft: Watch Out For These Killers

If you use the words below, you will be marked for a rank amateur.  Avoid them whenever you can.   

Writing Craft: Power Verbs

Verbs can be a lot of fun. Don’t get caught in a rut! Step out of that box! March to the beat of a different drummer! 

You like my clichés? Don’t use them. They are annoying and trite.  If you’re reading this blog, you should be beyond such drivel!  But I digress… back to the verbs.

When I first started writing, I was poor at grammar. Still am, but I created an Idiot List to help me remember what I needed to know.  If you aren’t sure about something, check on line. A wealth of information is available if you will just avail yourself of it! <tongue in cheek>

Anemic Verbs

Some verbs should be buried. Some are so common they have lost value. Mundane words signify a mundane writer. Give your writing a transfusion with power verbs.

The verb to be is worn out, passive, and should be eliminated whenever possible. Excessive use screams first draft! It isn’t easy, but a skilled writer finds a way around them. Write with strength, find better choices!

Verb – to be:

am	isn’t
are	it was
aren’t	to be
be	were
being

Writing Craft: Conflict

Without conflict there is no story, just a news report. 

Boring.

Writing Craft - Show Don't Tell

One of the hallmarks of skilled writing is the ability to draw the reader into the world you’ve created.

The reader wants to have sympathy for your character. He wants to feel what your character feels and experience what the character experiences. One of the primary reasons for recreational reading is to escape from reality and be somewhere else.

If your story doesn’t draw the reader in quickly, he will lose interest. Your story must pop with experiences that use the senses. Immerse your reader in sensory experiences. He must be able to touch, taste, smell, hear, and see the world you’ve created. Your job is to find words that convey those messages.