I’m reading a book by Francine Prose called, “Reading Like a Writer.” While her focus is large literary and academic, Prose caught my eye with many of the excerpts she …
Ask the Doc: How to tighten the suspense noose!
Q: My most vexing issue is figuring out how to tighten the noose (build the suspense) toward the end of the novel leading up to the climax scene. A: Don’t …
Prescriptions: How to Hook your reader Wk 2
This week we’re going to continue with: How to hook your reader on the first page! To review, two weeks ago we talked about the HOOK, and how the hook …
Doctor’s Notes: More on Secondary Characters
Monday, we answered Julie’s question about secondary characters – how many is too many? How to keep them from being boring or flat? I’ve been thinking about this issue today …
Ask The Doc: How to handle secondary characters
Julie writes: My biggest problem right now is how to handle secondary characters. How many are too many? How do I keep them from taking over or stealing the scene? …