by Susan Lovett | May 19, 2020 | Writing |
Stories are about character. Sure, you can have an action film with little more than special effects and plot (think Transformers), but those kinds of stories have little emotional impact. They are fun while you’re watching them, but they don’t linger. They don’t make the audience think. Or feel. For those reactions, you need characters who want things and need things.
Wants and Needs are two elements that drive stories. They determine plot and character. Story and resolution.
by Susan Lovett | May 12, 2020 | Writing |
This is the final blog in the How to Introduce a Character series. In the first three blogs, we touched on the basics, tips on how to introduce characters, and examples from both films and books. This blog will complete the examples and ways to introduce a character, whether main or side.
by Susan Lovett | May 5, 2020 | Writing |
In the previous two blogs, we looked at some basic advice and criteria for introducing characters—the lifeblood of any story. Now we’re going to go deeper and look at various examples of the ways in which you can bring your character to life the first time you introduce them to your reader. As you can imagine, this is a huge topic, so these examples will be broken into two blogs to finish out this series on character introductions. Now to begin…
Ways to introduce characters:
by Susan Lovett | Apr 28, 2020 | Writing |
The first blog of this series laid the foundation for character introductions. Now we’re going to go deeper into ways to introduce characters. The final two blogs in this series will explore each type of introduction with specific examples and explanations.
Bringing your characters to life begins with the introduction, no matter whether it’s in fiction or film, it’s how you choose to begin that matters. There are many options:
by Susan Lovett | Apr 21, 2020 | Writing |
Characters make stories. They are why we read. They are how we escape into someone else’s life, experience trials foreign to our own. They provide inspiration to keep going during struggles. Getting to know them helps us learn and feel. They change us.
Characters are why we care. They are why we keep turning pages and stay glued to the screen.
by Susan Lovett | Mar 10, 2020 | Writing |
There’s so much info available about writing—blogs, videos, classes, lectures, workshops, conferences, books. It’s easier now than ever to learn more about the craft and that’s amazing. It’s essential to work on your skills, to learn how grammar, structure and mechanics work in writing, and how to improve the other elements of good fiction and creative nonfiction.
But (there had to be a but, right?)…
by Susan Lovett | Mar 3, 2020 | 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 is to share advice and tips that will help someone have a real career in this business, whether in fiction or nonfiction. If I ever stray in this goal, feel free to nudge me back on course.
by Susan Lovett | Jan 21, 2020 | For Writers, Writing |
’Tis the season for resolutions. In Part I of this two-part series, we talked about ways to learn, stretch your skills, connect, be kind to yourself and commit to reading and writing in the new year. Below are more resolutions to take up in your pursuit of writing.
by Susan Lovett | Nov 26, 2019 | Writing |
There’s a writing axiom that states everyone should learn the rules before they break them. I happen to agree with this rule. But I also believe in breaking rules. It’s a tenuous position for a blogger who focuses on how to write. Today’s blog is about what I truly believe.
Trust your instincts.
by Susan Lovett | Nov 19, 2019 | Story, Writing |
The past few blogs we’ve focused on complications, tension and raising the stakes. Now we’re going to look at how that plays out by breaking down a fairy tale. We’ll begin with Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
The story typically starts out with the bears discovering their porridge is too hot and deciding to go for a walk, leaving their home unoccupied. I say typically starts out because there are many versions of this tale, each with its own quirks and variances. But let’s work with this opening as the hook. Talking bears who live in a house and eat porridge. Check. I want to read that.
by Susan Lovett | Nov 12, 2019 | Story, Writing |
This blog examines the types of stakes you can use to raise tension to its highest levels.
A good place to begin is with some questions:
What happens if the protagonist fails?
What is at stake? Personally? Publicly? Morally?
Why can’t your protagonist just walk away?
by Susan Lovett | Nov 5, 2019 | Story, Writing |
Tension is a key element in storytelling. It’s that strain and uncertainty that hooks the reader. What’s making that creaking sound? Will the hero save the world? Can the kidnapped boy escape before the villain returns? Will the heroine ever recover from the spell the witch cast or is she doomed forever?
Putting your characters in peril pulls your reader into the story and makes it interesting. When there’s no tension, stories can feel flat or boring. But how do you add tension to a story?
