Show or Tell: Writing Dialogue Tags and Beats
Speech tags and action tags or beats are essential when writing dialogue. These tiny but mighty words are the difference between reader confusion and enjoyment.
Speech tags and action tags or beats are essential when writing dialogue. These tiny but mighty words are the difference between reader confusion and enjoyment.
Dialogue is a favorite for writers AND readers. Dialogue makes your character present and real in a scene. Let’s talk tips and techniques for great dialogue.
Your readers should sense the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences between the character voices in the stories you write. Try these exercises today!
Voice, whether your natural writing voice or the voice of a character, comes from an emotional place. Jan Fields gives us exercises to develop these voices.
Voice is something publishers want, but it’s an elusive thing to understand. Today, we discover ways to develop our own voice and the voices of our characters.
When writing conflict, inner and outer conflicts are not two separate things. Outer conflicts offer an opportunity to explore inner ones better. Find out how.
Your author voice has a unique and specific makeup. The way your word choice, writing style, tone, and perspective all make your voice unique to you.
Conflict in children’s books isn’t necessarily fights or arguments, it’s about the roadblocks that keep the character from getting what they want in the story.
Contest: Contemporary Romance First Pages | 3rd Place
DOES IT HAVE TO BE YOU
June 14, 2024
Discover how the conflict the main character of your manuscript faces is the little piece of the story machine with the biggest impact on your reader.
Dialogue is a powerful tool for conveying emotions. To write emotional dialogue that rings true, use these pointers from IFW Instructor Victoria Sherrow.
Plot moves forward as pressure is applied to characters to motivate them to act. Pressure in a story is all about the stakes. Are your stakes high enough?
Contest: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Book | 4th Place
HAPPY IN NATURE: THE STORY OF EARTH DAY FOUNDER, GAYLORD NELSON
May 31, 2024
Many writers think worldbuilding is only for fantasy and sci-fi, but it’s important for all stories. Consider worldbuilding in these 3 stages of writing.
Good worldbuilding is an art. Writers must convince readers to live in their world. This writing exercise will help you build a world they won’t want to leave.
Battle of the Artisans: Making the Bells of Marquis Yi
May 24, 2024
Worldbuilding is the process of making decisions about setting and systems for a story. Check out these four tips for efficient and effective worldbuilding.
Contest: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Book | 3rd Place
RISE OF AN UNDERDOG
May 17, 2024
Setting can seem like a character all on its own, but only if the writer allows the setting to do its job. And that requires both research and imagination.
Every story we read will take place in a world and readers need to be immersed in it. Here are the elements of worldbuilding—no matter what genre you write.
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1000 N. West Street #1200, Wilmington, DE 19801
© 2024 Direct Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
1000 N. West Street #1200, Wilmington, DE 19801
©2024 Direct Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.