One function of adverbs is to modify adjectives, in other words to describe something that already describes something. That alone should give you an idea of how necessary – or unnecessary – they are when used for this purpose. For example: He drives really fast. She is very happy. We are super glad to be […]

In previous posts I’ve addressed my tendency to overuse certain words, phrases, or gestures, for example she bit her lip and she walked home slowly. To solve the problem I use the “find” option on Microsoft Word to catch the over-usages before my manuscripts go to the copyeditor. Some still slip through, but I’m getting better. For words […]

In previous posts I’ve discussed how useful beats (action) are to show your readers instead of telling them. I also advised against using beats too often because it can dilute their effect. Another way to devalue the impact of beats is by telling readers what those beats are already showing. For example, the following beats do a solid job of letting us know what […]

A beat is an action that shows readers how a character is feeling instead of telling them. For example: Krista slammed the door shut. “I said leave me alone!” Compare the above to this: “I said leave me alone!” Krista shouted, furious. Having Krista slam the door not only shows us that she’s furious instead of telling us, it also gives us a visual […]

Recently I received conflicting advice regarding inner monologues, and as a result I’ve engaged in a running inner monologue of my own. I wrote my latest novel, Bridges, in third person from the point of view of the protagonist. Here are two examples of how I originally presented her inner thoughts: EXAMPLE A Daphne looked up […]

One of my favorite parts about finishing a first draft, outside of the profound feeling of accomplishment, is that after months of hard work I’m finally able to sit back and read the entire story from beginning to end. It’s impossible for me to experience my work with completely fresh eyes—that’s why I strongly believe […]

When I was writing my latest novel, Bridges, I woke up in the middle of the night and knew I’d come up with an idea for a scene I was working on, but I had no idea what it was. Absolutely none. Instead of fretting about the lost inspiration, however, I reached for the notebook in the […]

When I got my latest novel (Bridges) back from my longtime developmental editor, as usual, she offered helpful suggestions for how to improve plot, pacing, character development, etc. This time, however, she also mentioned that my main character smiled–“a lot.” Curious as to what my editor meant by “a lot,” I used the search function […]

If you’re not familiar with the “show vs. tell” rule, the gist of it is that you want to show your readers events or feelings instead of telling them. I frequently see this rule broken in dialogue by authors who choose overly descriptive verbs that force-feed us the character’s sentiment. When I encounter too much of this I find […]