8 Ways to Flesh Out a Character
By Rob D. Young
In:
Character
Looking to develop a character? Here are eight ways you can create a fleshier concept for who your character is and what drives them.
Flash Fiction: The Zorro Circle of Storytelling
By Rob D. Young
In:
Structure
Flash fiction can help writers answer vital questions: How can you identify which words to cut? How can you use subtlety to increase the power of your prose? And what's at the heart of a story?
Storyville: Top Ten Things Literary Journals Need to Do. NOW.
In:
Research
There needs to be a symbiosis between the journal and the author. Here are some ways that we can make that happen.
UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: February Edition - Now, with New Rules!
In:
Plot
New Rules: 25 words. 2 sentences.
How the Superheroes of Literature can save you from the Grammar Nazis
By Cath Murphy
In:
Grammar
Who can save the planet from the deadly Grammar Nazis? The Superheroes of Literature, that's who!
O-day ou-yay eak-spay ingon-Klay?: Exploring constructed languages
In:
Literary Devices
What do the Starship Enterprise, Boonville California, and an Icelandic band all have in common? Their own language! Explore a few unique constructed languages with me.
Storyville: Breaking Hearts
In:
Character
In order to break a reader's heart, you first must get them to care.
This is Not a Checklist: How to Write a Story
Some things to have taken into consideration while writing your story. Not rules, just after-the-fact guidelines.
Storyville: Researching The Best American Short Stories Anthology
In:
Research
When you are looking to do research on literary short fiction, start with the Best American Short Stories anthology.
Watching out for Reiterations: Eliminating Redundancy in Your Writing
In:
Grammar
Like Sonny & Cher on February 2nd, redundancies in your writing are driving your readers crazy.
Info Dumps Aren't Evil
By Erik Wecks
In:
Plot
Writers are often told to avoid information dumps at all costs, but this can leave a story feeling clipped and lacking necessary description.
Kill Those Modifiers!
The overuse of adjectives and adverbs can ruin sentences and flatten descriptive passages.
Phraseology: Groups of Words with a Lot of Jobs
In:
Grammar
So I've bored you with lectures on sentences and clauses, now we'll talk about that other group of words-the phrase.
Bringing the Lie to Life: What Your First Two Pages Can Tell You
Using particular details brings your lie to life.
Storyville: Writing Dialogue
What is the function of dialogue, and how do you make it sing?
Screenwriting: Insert Woman Here - Sidestepping the Sausage Fest
In:
Cliche
Where are all the female characters in your screenplay? Why should you care about adding some? Where can you put them?
The Joys and Perils of Self-Fictionalization as Portrayed in Four Films - or - Why We Write
In:
Plot
Four movies that blur the line between artists and their art.
Five Plot Devices That Hurt Your Writing
In:
Plot
A list of common storytelling devices writers employ that usually cause far more harm than good.
Organic Word-Growing: Why You Should Keep the Shit in Your Writing
By Rob D. Young
In:
Rewriting
A look at how accepting the crap you write during early drafts can both accelerate the writing process and feed your story.
Storyville: Where to Send Your Stories
In:
Research
No idea where to send your writing? Consult this list of the most common genre markets, as well as Richard's BIG LIST, five years in the making.
10 Grammar & Usage-Related New Year’s Resolutions
In:
Grammar
So you swore off sugar in the new year, but did you resolve to stop using 'they' to refer to a single subject? You should. Here are 10 grammar and usage resolutions for 2013.
Dramatic Situation Vs. Dramatic Scene: Win the Fight Against Poor Form
In:
Plot
There is a symbiotic "formal" relationship between situation and scene. A clearly defined dramatic-situation enhances the tension of your scenes, and more scenes ensure deeper exploration of premise.
10 Stories We Never Need to See in Workshops Again
A list of the some of the most predictable, clichéd storylines that somehow continue to appear in fiction workshops again, and again, and again.
Ghostly Doppelgangers, Bell-Ringing Goblins, and More Cranky Old Rich Jerks: Get in the Holiday Spirit With Some Lesser Known Dickens
In:
Theme
Can't get enough Dickens at Christmas time? Check out his lesser-known holiday-themed works.
6 Ways You're Molesting Your Metaphors
By Rob D. Young
In:
Literary Devices
Including mixed metaphors, cliche metaphors, ambiguous implications, too close to literal, referencing outside the common experience, and over-extending your metaphors.
