One way you can up your writing game is to challenge yourself to look for and eliminate the vast majority of “practical action” sentences in your prose. Kim gives a few great concrete examples from published books to illustrate her lesson.
Author: Kim Lozano
Kim Lozano is an editor and creative writing coach from St. Louis. Her work has been published in The Iowa Review, North American Review, DIY MFA, CRAFT, and many other publications. You can find out more about her classes and the writing resources she offers at kimlozano.com
You’ll often hear writers talking about starting a story in medias res. If this phrase is unfamiliar to you, Kim offers a brief explanation of what it means with helpful examples from popular published literature.
As a writing coach, Kim sees a ton of dialogue. if you want to improve your dialogue, she suggests you revise with these four S’s in mind: Significant, Shorter, Smarter, and Sharper.
Trying to figure out if your story should be in present or past tense? The easiest way to examine your choices is to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each so you can make a more informed decision rather than just relying on your gut.
Titling your book is a huge marketing decision. If you’ve had the same working title since you started drafting, you need to put some thought into whether it’s the best title before you send it out for possible publication. Discover 16 approaches to titling your book.
Kim discusses “writing rules” in their newest blog post, quoting famous authors’ stances on how to handle writing rules when it comes to crafting the best story for your audience.
If you’re one of the majority of writers who could use a little more guidance than to “just do what works” when writing story openings, here are a few strategies for you.
If you suspect your story is boring, it probably is. But the problem might not be as catastrophic as you think. Here are some instances where you should check your story for the humdrums, and examples of what you can do to fix them.