By Shelley Widhalm A novel can be structured in three or more acts or 15 beats (see Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!® – The Language of Storytelling). Or in some other forms, whether you story map or wing it. What I find confusing is the difference between inciting incidents and triggering incidents.
Tag Archives: writing process
Best Laid Planst
By Katie Lewis To outline, or not to outline, that is the question. We’ve all heard varying degrees of advice in favor of one way or the other. Some writers feel outlining is vital, while others swear they are more productive using the flow. And yet I am here to declare a third party, theContinue reading “Best Laid Planst”
What Are You Waiting for?
By Nina Naylor, Guest Blogger Nina (pronounced 9-uh) Naylor is a writer, poet, and essayist. She wrote her first poem at age 8. She is a member of Northern Colorado Writers and the Academy of American Poets. She has had poems, essays and articles published in organizational publications. Nina was able to take early retirementContinue reading “What Are You Waiting for?”
First Draft Blues
By David E. Sharp I have a love/hate relationship with first drafts. Cue the lonely harmonica. I thrive on the rewrites. Once the structure is in place, I can go nuts with all the tweaks and edit in a constant effort to improve. I can’t even look at one of my existing manuscripts without tryingContinue reading “First Draft Blues”
Compelling, Balanced, and Exciting: Backstory Not Baggage
By Shelley Widhalm Shelley Widhalm is a freelance writer and editor and founder of Shell’s Ink Services in Loveland, Colo. She provides copy editing and developmental editing, as well as consultations on writing and editing. She has more than 20 years of experience in communications and holds a Master of Arts degree in English fromContinue reading “Compelling, Balanced, and Exciting: Backstory Not Baggage”
Got Salt?
By Brian Kaufman Somewhere, there is a published author who doesn’t read reviews. However, most authors are thrilled by good reviews and are despondent over bad ones. Since bad reviews are as predictable as flies at a picnic, I thought it might be helpful to look at ways to suffer a negative review.
The End
By Ronda Simmons On a personal note: The time has come for me to step down from blogging for the Writing Bug. It’s been an incredible ride, and I am grateful to have had this experience. JC Lynne is a talented, funny, and kind editor. (Don’t tell her I said that.) I have learned volumesContinue reading “The End”
Summertime Writing Productivity
By Ronda Simmons It’s been decades since I was a student, yet when the weather warms up, and the grass is green, I have difficulty focusing. I’m always looking for a hammock somewhere to enjoy a good read. My writing goals tend to suffer, and I would be willing to bet I’m not alone.
Under The Provincial Sun
(Or I’m Bored. I think I’ll write a book.) By Eleanor Shelton My mother and father have been living in Turkey stuck after the pandemic shut everything down. A Covid vacation, if you will. During my last phone call with my mother, she said, “Well, I’ve read all the books I brought. I might asContinue reading “Under The Provincial Sun”
Abandoned
By Brian Kaufman Having finished two novels and grown tired of rejections, I began to write a third novel. I had a clever idea and a marvelous, operatic ending in mind. 35.000 words in, I realized I’d dead-ended. I stuck my stack of legal pads in a box (this was before home computers walked theContinue reading “Abandoned”
