Author: wildsoundwritingfestival

by Doug Lewars Book reviews are a fact of life. If it’s your book being reviewed, they’re nice if they’re positive and decidedly unpleasant if they’re negative. Every book is going to have a few negative reviews. That’s a fact of life because people are different, have different interests, enjoy different things, and […] via How… Continue reading How to Write a Book Review — A Writer’s Path

by Richard Risemberg The job of a fiction writer is to lie. Still, if it were only to lie, you could dedicate yourself to advertising or politics instead and accept troubled sleep as the price for prosperity. But a fiction writer must lie to show truth, and that’s not as easy as it […] via To… Continue reading To Lie for Truth’s Sake: The Novelist’s Conundrum — A Writer’s Path

by Ryan Lanz Have you ever thought to yourself that your characters are in charge, and not you? I once heard an interview where an author discussed his characters as if they were the ones with the quill in hand, so to speak. He went on to discuss how the characters would occasionally […] via When… Continue reading When Your Characters Won’t Behave — A Writer’s Path

by Andrea Lundgren 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: […] via Four… Continue reading Four Ways to Plan Showing Vs. Telling in Your Novel — A Writer’s Path

by Ryan Lanz I love the show Survivor. I know, I know. It’s a guilty pleasure. I’m a bit of a junkie for the show. I’ve probably seen 90% of the episodes since it started 57 years ago (ish). May Jeff Probst never retire. I was wondering to myself why I love the […] via 3… Continue reading 3 Types of Conflict to Improve Your Story — A Writer’s Path

by Emily Nemchick When you check your own manuscript for errors, you are probably looking for misspelled words, dodgy grammar, and the inevitable typos. Those are all things you need to correct—but you should also be aware of pesky consistency errors that are commonplace in poorly edited manuscripts. via Editing Tip: Common Consistency Errors You Might… Continue reading Editing Tip: Common Consistency Errors You Might Be Making — A Writer’s Path

by Lauren Sapala If you’re a writer—and especially if you’re a writer who isn’t bringing in a significant (or any) amount of income from your writing—then you probably struggle with feeling guilty a lot of the time. I know I do. Because you see, I’m not just a writer. I’m also a wife […] via Taking… Continue reading Taking Time For Your Writing…and the Guilt That Comes With It — A Writer’s Path

by Jordan Jolley Each author has different tactics of writing. Some authors will work from sunup to sundown while others may have part-time jobs. Some may have a deep love for historical fiction while another has a deep love for romance. Of course, one specific set of writing methods isn’t the same among […] via 6… Continue reading 6 Tips to Become a Great Author — A Writer’s Path

Remember the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil? Ground and shaped to a fine tip, it was the only way to color in those little bubbles on placement tests. Its marks on the page were dark and clear, easy to read. Though I’m dating myself, I have a point (pun intended). via Sharpening Your Focus –… Continue reading Sharpening Your Focus – Why it’s Important to Outline from a Reformed Pantser — A Writer’s Path

by Doug Lewars Either a villain is fleeing from the forces of law-and-order or your hero is fleeing from overwhelming danger, but in either case you need a chase scene. Any form of transportation can be used and the overall structure of the narrative will be reasonably uniform although the specifics will change […] via How… Continue reading How to Write an Effective Chase Scene — A Writer’s Path