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Blue Square
Writer
Life lessons
on the craft


Right & Wronger
What works for one writer may not work for another. One writer may be able to break rules that another cannot.
Feb 23 min read


The Voices in my Head
Pick one character or action and explain its importance to yourself. Ask yourself over and over again those important writer questions.
Jan 24 min read


Copying Originality
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But it’s also a lot like copying.
Dec 1, 20243 min read


Physical Descriptions
I don’t like to include physical descriptions of my characters in my writing. I’m often accused of this fault.
Nov 1, 20244 min read


Amateur Expectations
On a Thursday night, I listened to a poet read his newest stuff.
Oct 1, 20243 min read


(Syn)Tactics in Fight Scenes
Readers need mental “take a breath” moments in a fight scene. Like swimmers holding their breath, eventually they need to come up for air.
Aug 1, 20244 min read


Avoid Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is an end result. A new self-revelation is a great denouement. But until the character has struggled to learn, hold off.
Jul 1, 20244 min read


Take Your Time to Publish
Take the time to learn the skills, to learn the craft, to develop your talent. People will be reading books forever. You have time. Take it.
Jun 1, 20244 min read


Constructing Show, Don't Tell
Our brains use inductive logic; thus, pairing two specific actions together gives the readers all they need to understand.
May 1, 20244 min read


Deeper Than "Show, Don't Tell"
In order to SHOW your character’s emotions, you need to know WHY the character feels that way. This is not as simple as it sounds.
Apr 1, 20244 min read


Secrets of "Show Don't Tell"
Narrative will not deliver a feeling alone. Instead, zoom in. Give the image of an action that creates the feeling. Here's how.
Mar 1, 20244 min read


Write Small
As you improve, focus more on the nuances of what you know and not the novelty of something new. I call this learning to “write small.”
Feb 1, 20243 min read


Master Your Dialogue
To write dialogue, invert the reading process. Don’t use dialogue to deliver information. Use it to imply emotions and psychology.
Jan 1, 20243 min read


Dialogue & Building Character
Invert your craft. Start with the deeper psychology, and then write what they'd say because of the feeling, not to explain that feeling.
Dec 1, 20234 min read


Top Five Dialogue Techniques
Think about how dialogue affects many other elements of writing all at the same time. Below are my Top Five Dialogue Techniques.
Nov 1, 20234 min read


Because I Like It
I gave myself full permission to stop writing. I wasn’t going to write any more that night and I wasn’t going to write any more the next day
Oct 1, 20233 min read


It's About Story
That’s why, to me, the worst Jeffery Eugenides book will always be remarkably better than the best Dan Brown book.
Sep 1, 20234 min read


Thinking 4th Dimensionally
There are less-discussed and less-understood Time factors, such as the past perfect verb tense or the order of phrases and clauses.
Aug 1, 20233 min read


Grammatical Time Travel
When you use a verb tense without fully understanding it, you’re essentially sticking your reader into the Delorean and stepping on the gas.
Jul 1, 20234 min read


Subtracting Time
Many writers add more words in an effort to explain or justify. The more effective solution is to go back to fix. More is not always better.
Jun 1, 20234 min read


The Immediate Flashback
The most misused and dangerous use of Flashback is – what I have come to call – the Immediate Flashback or interrupting backstory.
May 1, 20234 min read


Suspending Disbelief
Character's unique abilities put them in strange places, but if you include too many details about abilities, you bore the reader.
Apr 1, 20234 min read


Word-Time & Real-Time
The ratio is simple: the amount of words used to show the action is inversely proportional to the time that action requires.
Mar 2, 20233 min read


Forcing Characters
Don’t be fooled – characters will not suddenly become real people, capable of reaching out from your computer to type their own story.
Feb 1, 20234 min read
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