C.S. Lakin: Your settings shouldn't be just any old place

Posted on 10/15/2019 at 10:58 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

The settings of your novel shouldn’t simply be afterthoughts or side notes — they should carry some significance to the...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

Use your own feelings to add emotion to your story

Posted on 09/27/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Looking for an easy way to enhance the emotions in your writing? Think about yourself! Seriously — C.S. Lakin suggests...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Writing advice

What your novel's setup scene should — and shouldn't — do

Posted on 09/23/2019 at 04:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Your setup scene isn’t always the first scene in your book, but — as its name suggests — it definitely...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

Act now to stir emotion in your readers

Posted on 08/05/2019 at 11:29 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Whether your characters are lovestruck, terrified, outraged, devastated, or any other emotion, you want your readers to feel that very...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Characters, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

How to safely write romance ... and violence

Posted on 07/08/2019 at 03:38 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Romance and violence can both be used effectively, no matter what genre you’re writing in — but they can also...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Romance, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

The mind should be warmed up, just like muscles

Posted on 06/29/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We all expect to do warmups before exercising our muscles — why not do the same for our minds? Anuradha...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Writing advice

Advice on writing strong dialogue in memoirs

Posted on 06/11/2019 at 02:01 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Here’s more advice on memoir writing, this time in regards to dialogue. C.S. Lakin reminds memoirists that of course they’re...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Memoir, Writing advice

Remember, your point-of-view character isn't omniscient

Posted on 06/04/2019 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Illustrating your scenes through your characters’ observations is absolutely key to bringing your story to life. C.S. Lakin reminds us,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Writing advice

Eight simple steps to a perfect plot

Posted on 05/30/2019 at 11:13 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Two different lists of four piece of advice popped into our feeders today. Alan Gelb, author of Seven Steps to...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

Let your reader smell, feel, and hear your novel's setting

Posted on 05/25/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

A writer’s goal is to bring readers into the internal and external life of their characters. By that we mean,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Writing advice, C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive