by Jacque | Oct 7, 2020 | editor secrets, Powerful Stories, Self-Editing, Structure, Uncategorized
Well, it’s October again. That means cozy sweaters, apple cider, changing leaves, and bad puns. Of course, bad puns are welcome all year long. What it means for you is preparing for NaNoWriMo! Not sure what that is? However, you pronounce it (nano-REE-mo or...
by Jacque | Sep 9, 2020 | editor secrets, Self-Editing, Uncategorized
Imagine you’re in a coffee shop in the future, sipping your caramel mocha latte, laptop on the table, fingers ready to start typing. In walks a customer carrying a book bag, who orders a drink and settles in. The book she cracks open is yours! But she isn’t just...
by Jacque | Aug 12, 2020 | Conflict, Powerful Stories, Step 3: Story Conflict, Supersets, Uncategorized
You Need Overarching Conflict I hesitate to call books that have a specific genre with authors who intend to sell commercial fiction. It sounds a bit … icky, as if there’s no art behind it. It taints those authors with a feeling of “selling out” as opposed to those...
by Jacque | Jul 8, 2020 | Character, Genre, Powerful Stories, Self-Editing, Structure, Uncategorized
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I believe genre guides every decision you make while writing your story. This is especially true when it comes to fulfilling the Five Requirements and finding your controlling theme. Have any of these go...
by Jacque | Jun 10, 2020 | Conflict, five requirements, Powerful Stories, Self-Editing, step 6, Structure, Supersets, Uncategorized
The Best Way to Create Conflict Imagine the scene you’re reading involves the characters all sitting around a table eating dinner. The image is clear because you’ve had dinner at a table before, so you understand what goes on. During this scene, everyone is in a good...
by Jacque | May 13, 2020 | Character, Don't Tell, Powerful Stories, Self-Editing, Show, Uncategorized
Understanding point of view (POV) and perspective can help your characters and your story come to life. Though the terms are typically used interchangeably, I’d like to argue that they aren’t the same. Let’s first define POV According to...
