LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON

Tag: writing exercises

  • Aspiring Writers, Take Notes!

    You can write a novel that seems absolutely perfect to you: the dialogue is tight, the characters are richly layered and the plot crackles with energy.  But you’ll still get notes, I guarantee it.  And that’s a good thing. Notes, by the way, are the comments you get from decision-makers (mostly literary agents and editors)…

  • Want to Get Published? Know Your Genre!

    You can write a novel in any genre you want, as long as you know what it is.  To me, a “genre” is anything that comes with a certain set of expectations.  If you tell me your story is a hard-boiled mystery, then I’ll know what to expect.  If you tell me it’s a time-travel…

  • Feel the Invisible Robot Love

    These days, most of our precious writing usually ends up online, where it is relentlessly scrutinized by robots.  Not the sparky “Danger, Will Robinson, danger!” kind of robots, but invisible little computer gremlins that furrow through the internet, looking for text to gnaw on.  That way, if you go to Google and search for —…

  • Transform Your Hero and Get Published

    I was just listening to a fantastic interview with the late, great Blake Snyder, author of the Save the Cat! books.  One of the many insightful things he said was, “Tell me a story about a hero who transforms over the course of an adventure.” That’s something that I struggle with in my own writing. …

  • Why Editors Are Just Not That Into You

    Whenever I hear a writer complain that editors just aren’t “getting” her latest story, I suspect what they’re actually not getting out of it is emotion.  As human beings, we like to sit around the campfire, literally or metaphorically, and tell each other stories.  Stories enlighten us, inspire us, gift us with a new perspective. …

  • Today’s Writing Prompt: Kill Your Character!

    You’re not killing her, not really.  Just bear with me for a minute.  This is one of my crazy creative writing exercises. First, write a short scene where a major character gets killed.  Show it from the perspective of another viewpoint character.  How it happens is up to you, but it should be directly connected…