Try using personality types as a kind of scaffolding when you set characters in scene. Put them together and see how they are different, and where they are similar. When I was exploring Eleven and Lilian’s characters in my novel Radiant Shimmering Light, I made notes on their Myers-Briggs personality types. Lilian is an INFP,… [Read More]
Digital Minimalism
I was reading Cal Newport’s new book, Digital Minimalism, and after a few chapters, I realized oh hey! I’m a digital minimalist. …for each optional technology that you’re considering re-introducing into your life, you must first ask: Does this technology directly support something that I deeply value? This is the only condition on which you… [Read More]
Filtering.
You’ve written a piece that feels tight, polished, and ready. You’ve revised it so many times. There aren’t any typos or POV slips — it’s clean. Your writing group loves it. You’ve been sending it out. But for some reason, it keeps getting rejected. What are you missing? Well, maybe nothing. Stories get rejected way… [Read More]
Mediating
Sometimes we mediate our scenes by explaining what they mean for our characters, instead of letting the details do the work on their own. Mediating is similar to abstraction — it’s another way writers use language to try to control how a story will be received and understood, instead of letting readers come to their… [Read More]
Abstraction.
When you find yourself writing about intellectualized concepts rather than concrete details that can be felt in the human body, you’re moving into abstraction. This can be seductive for smart writers, because using your intellect and language this way feels clever, and it can be fun to write. It’s also a way for a writer… [Read More]
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