Characters do all kinds of things in fiction. Their actions make up the stories we write, and if they did nothing...it'd be pretty boring. But how much motivation should there be in what they do? Do you, as the author, need to always know why they're doing it, or can they just "do something for … Continue reading Character Actions: Should There Be a Reason Why?
Tag: Showing & Telling
As writers, we've been told over and over how it's much better to show a reader something rather than tell them, and recently, I wrote about how one can use dance to show a character's thoughts and how she changes. As a general rule, showing means giving the reader details: letting them see what the … Continue reading Four Ways to Plan Showing Vs. Telling in Your Novel
By Page 18, I knew I needed to own my own copy of Showing & Telling by Laurie Alberts, a writing book arguing that we need both vibrant scenes and effective, efficient summaries to carry a story along. By Page 37, she had me thinking about aspects of some of my own scenes, and by … Continue reading Making Scenes Work
Andrea Lundgren 