Zara Altair: Six keys to a successful scene

Posted on 06/27/2020 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

If you’re like us, you’ve been doing much more cooking nowadays than six months ago. So, fittingly, we have a...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Writing advice

5 tips for keeping your story lively instead of lazy

Posted on 05/26/2020 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

With the temperature and humidity rising — and with the return to work, if you keep traditional business hours —...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Writing advice

How to improve your story's momentum and scenes' pace

Posted on 05/16/2020 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

As the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, you might feel like your life lacks momentum and that your...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

Make sure your main character isn't too passive

Posted on 05/05/2020 at 11:28 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Your protagonist’s job isn’t to sit back and watch the action happen — that’s your reader’s job. Editor Tiffany Yates...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative

Try the puzzle-piece method to develop your novel

Posted on 04/27/2020 at 02:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We’ve been told that puzzles are the hottest trend in lockdown entertainment. So the timing is perfect for a particular...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative

Write the perfect cliff-hanger (and don't forget to resolve it)

Posted on 04/27/2020 at 11:55 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Whether you call it a cliff-hanger or merely identify it as tension, you know your writing needs it to keep...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

A roundup of revision tips

Posted on 03/31/2020 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Organization — it's not just for your house during the safer-at-home movement. Creative writing mentor Rosie O'Neill shared four ways...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Editing, Joanna Penn, Plot / narrative

C.S. Lakin: Give all your characters a job

Posted on 03/12/2020 at 02:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Among the aspects of filmmaking that apply well to writing a book is the use of characters. Specifically, says C.S....

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

C.S. Lakin: Your story can't stand on a character alone

Posted on 03/08/2020 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

C.S. Lakin and many other novelists have seen their writing process begin with the image of one particular character. As...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

Don't make these mistakes with your flashbacks

Posted on 02/25/2020 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Flashbacks, whether they come in a memoir or a novel, can enhance a reader’s understanding of a character or the...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative