“Where language becomes a lantern, and each word helps you find your way home to yourself.”
Introspection & Deep Point of View
Deep point of view (often abbreviated as POV) puts the reader inside the character's head. Readers can imagine the character walking into the room, hearing bad news, arguing with her mother, or discovering a body, but they experience those moments from her perspective.
We see what she sees, and more importantly, we notice what she notices. We interpret each person she encounters and places she visits through her history with them, good or bad.
Before a writer can use deep point of view, they need to understand introspection. Some authors believe they need to pause the story’s action or forward momentum and give the protagonist time to think. They’ll create a short scene in which the protagonist is musing over some event. These longer periods of reflection (see sequel below) are fine when the story calls for it, but the writer misses dozens of other opportunities to draw readers deeper into the story by inserting short instances of introspection into the narrative.
Why Most First Chapters Fail (And It’s Not Because of Grammar)
Most first chapters don’t fail because of bad writing.
They fail because nothing meaningful is going on.
Here’s what I see repeatedly when reviewing opening pages…
Mastering Pacing: Keeping Your Readers Glued to the Page from Start to Finish
Introduction:
We’ve all read books that felt impossible to put down. Each scene pulled you deeper into the story. and for a while, the real world ceased to exist. That’s the magic created by an author who has mastered story pacing. Authors use pacing to control the rhythm of their narrative. By balancing the quick moments with the slow ones, they’re able to maintain tension and keep readers hooked. If your story moves too slowly, readers may lose interest. On the other hand, if it moves too fast, they might struggle to keep up or have a hard time connecting with your characters. To master pacing, you must find the perfect balance—one that keeps readers hooked from the first page to the last.
Unlocking the Secrets of Iconic Characters: A Guide for Mystery Novel Authors
Creating memorable characters is a little bit like creating a new life. Iconic detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple have captivated readers for decades, and not just because they crack tough cases. Readers love them because they feel authentic and relatable. These characters have distinct quirks, strong motivations, and detailed, interesting backstories that make them unforgettable. By learning from these literary legends, we can craft characters who stand out and keep readers glued to the page from start to finish.
The Writer’s Journey: Creativity as a Path to Mental Wellness?
Introduction
Creativity and mental health share a complex relationship. Since this is a writing-focused blog, I’ll be talking about authors, but all creative people are vulnerable to mental health challenges such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression. Many famous writers, such as Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway, battled mental health issues. More recently, authors Stephen King, Mary Hornbacher, and Ann Rice have talked about their battles with mental health problems, and several authors have written books about their experiences.
How to Write Dialogue— Creating Realistic Conversations
Think about all the people you know and what it is about their personalities that stand out to you. I’ll bet in at least some cases, your answer is based on how they speak. For example, the guy at the office who uses a certain phrase all the time, or the lady who lives down the block who always seems to be chomping on a stick of chewing gum and cracking it in between sentences. Or maybe you know someone sarcastic—always saying one thing but meaning another, in a mean or nice way. Or you have an uncle who is always cracking jokes, or an aunt who talks veeeeerrrrryyyy slooooowly. These types of characteristics make a person unique and memorable. The same applies to characters in a book.
