Timing, Pacing, & Tension: What Are They and How Are They Different? (Part 1 of 3)

Timing, Pacing, & Tension: What Are They and How Are They Different? (Part 1 of 3)

Everyone knows that comedy is all about timing. A joke succeeds when the punch line is delivered at just the right moment. As they say, “Timing is everything.” But what does that mean in terms of writing a novel or longer form of storytelling? How do you manage timing? And how does it differ from duration and pacing? How does it influence tension? Those are the questions we are going to tackle in this short series.

Location Scouting—What Writers Can Learn from Filmmakers

Location Scouting—What Writers Can Learn from Filmmakers

One of the first steps in pre-production, after developing a treatment and writing the screenplay, is figuring out where you can shoot the script. Where can you get those beautiful establishing shots and find sets to bring the story to life? Where in the world can you find places that look like what’s described in the screenplay or novel it is based upon?

Write Faster (Part 2 of 2)

Write Faster (Part 2 of 2)

Last week, we talked about ways to write faster. The blog was filled with tips and tricks to get those 50k words for NaNoWriMo down more quickly. Though the tricks will work for any project at any time.

Writing faster is a valuable skill. As a professional writer, I know the faster I am able to write, the more I can produce, which means more money. Of course, faster can’t be more important than good, when it comes to clients. When it comes to first drafts, the words matter more. Get them down as fast as possible. You can worry about the quality later.

Write Faster (Part 2 of 2)

Write Faster (Part 1 of 2)

With NaNoWriMo in full swing, writing faster is a valuable skill. The good news is that it isn’t that hard to rack up words a bit faster than you usually do. Here is the first round of tips to get closer to that 50k word goal.

How to Recognize Good Writing

How to Recognize Good Writing

When is good writing good writing? Is it a sentence or paragraph that hooks the reader? It is laud the ability to craft a gorgeous sentence no matter what? Or does noticing that great passage distract from the reading experience?


I think we can all agree there are books that amaze us with their prose and those that challenge us with their awkward phrasing and clunky pacing. It’s a question of quality. We know what works and what doesn’t on a visceral level. But how do we define it? And, more importantly, how do we make sure we’re on the right side of that line with our writing?

A Bit of a Word Rant

A Bit of a Word Rant


Like the rest of the pandemic-trapped world, I’m at home social distancing and watching way too much HGTV. It has inspired me to launch a few home improvement projects and write this blog, which is admittedly more of a rant. Sorry. Though I think I do make some good points about using the right word and why that’s important, so please read through the rant to the end. It gets better. And thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

12 Truths About Writing

12 Truths About Writing

There are so many blogs out there about writing and they all offer advice. Some of them contain sound advice and some are so vague they barely count as helpful. My intent at Figments & Fables is to share advice and tips that will help someone have a real career, whether in fiction or nonfiction. If I ever stray in this goal, feel free to nudge me back on course.

Writing Is Easy, Right?

Writing Is Easy, Right?

We all know that writing is easy, “All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed” according to Ernest Hemingway. And that is true to a point. But it isn’t the whole truth. Writing is easy and hard, but it’s also exciting, creative, playful, and relaxing. It feeds the soul and can be magical.

Wants vs. Needs (Part 4 of 4)

Wants vs. Needs (Part 4 of 4)

Abraham Maslow identified human needs in his Hierarchy of Needs (as described in the last blog). But later in his career, he expanded his hierarchy to include Cognitive and Aesthetic Needs (both of which fall under Esteem Needs) and Transcendence Needs that served as the final level—the level to which we all aspire once our Deficiency Needs are met.

Wants vs. Needs (Part 4 of 4)

Wants vs. Needs (Part 2 of 4)

In the first blog in this series, we explored what wants and needs are in their most basic form. Now we’ll look at how they can be used to design plot and characters. [Warning: This blog includes spoilers for some novels, so if you have not read the books or seen the movies, be forewarned.]