show don’t tell – Page 2 – Write Well, Write To Sell

Hard habits to break–What not to learn from the pros

03/04/201304/27/2013 Write Well, Write To Sell 339 Views 0 Comments bad writing habits, fiction writing, good writing, good writing techniques, novel writing, scott gamboe, show don't tell, writing, writing habits

From Scott: Last time, I discussed some good habits I have learned from reading the works of other authors. Great writers like Vince Flynn, Terry Brooks, and James Patterson have used many successful tools and techniques, and if you study

Openings

Flashbacks–Think twice before you dwell on the past

02/25/201310/13/2014 Write Well, Write To Sell 391 Views 0 Comments fiction writing, flashbacks, good writing, good writing techniques, novel writing, prologues, rick taubold, show don't tell, story hook, story openings

From Rick: Among the several sins that many new writers commit, premature flashbacks is often one of them. Two other big sins are launching into backstory too soon after the opening (or in the opening), and the use of a

Editing

Clean writing & interesting sentences

08/28/201210/05/2012 Write Well, Write To Sell 440 Views 1 Comment clean writing, editing, editing tips, good writing techniques, reference books for writers, rick taubold, show don't tell, weak words

From Rick: Last week Scott pointed out that one of the biggest annoyances for readers is errors in a book. Indeed, one the major complaints against self-published novels has been the poor quality of the writing and lack of proper

Action scenes

Fight the good fight

08/06/2012 Write Well, Write To Sell 391 Views 0 Comments fight scenes, good writing techniques, point of view, show don't tell

From Scott: As a writer of fiction, you will likely find, at some point, that your novel will contain a fight scene. Some genres naturally contain more violence than others. Medieval fantasy novels typically contain very graphic descriptions of the

Point of view

Writing in first person. A bad idea?

07/09/201205/28/2016 Write Well, Write To Sell 531 Views 0 Comments fiction writing, first person, good writing techniques, point of view, rick taubold, show don't tell, story openings

From Rick: Of the two main points of view (POV) used in fiction, first person and third person, first person is the one most often poorly done among new writers. Before I justify that statement, for those of you still

Novel writing

Novel writing for beginners–Part 3

05/07/201210/05/2012 Write Well, Write To Sell 412 Views 0 Comments fiction writing, good writing techniques, novel writing, rick taubold, show don't tell, writing

From Rick: Welcome back to our series on novel writing basics. Last time I discussed the importance of creating and fleshing out your cast of characters, and I ended with advice on how to choose the right point in time

General Openings

Story Openings–Part 2: Hooks

02/27/201210/05/2012 Write Well, Write To Sell 425 Views 0 Comments fiction writing, good writing, good writing techniques, novel writing, rick taubold, show don't tell, story hook, story openings, writing

From Rick: Welcome to Part 2 of our series on Openings. I trust that in the past couple of weeks you’ve had a chance to look over and analyze the samples presented. The first thing you should have done is

Openings

Story Openings–Part 1: Elements of a good opening

02/08/201206/09/2014 Write Well, Write To Sell 415 Views 0 Comments editing, good writing, good writing techniques, indie publishing, novel opening, novel writing, rick taubold, show don't tell, story opening, writing

From Rick: The opening of your story is the most important piece of writing in the entire work because this is where you either engage or lose your reader. In today’s market, where e-books abound and readers have the opportunity

General

Too Outrageous for Words: guest blog by Robert Vardeman

01/16/201201/20/2012 Write Well, Write To Sell 344 Views 0 Comments fiction writing, good writing, good writing techniques, novel writing, Robert E vardeman, Robert Vardeman, show don't tell, story hook, story openings

INTRO BY RICK: This week we have a special treat for our faithful blog readers. The first of our promised guest posts is by noted sci-fi and fantasy author Robert Vardeman, whom we thank for taking the time to share

General

Show and Tell

12/12/201103/13/2012 Write Well, Write To Sell 317 Views 0 Comments fiction writing, good writing, good writing techniques, novel writing, self-editing, self-publishing, show don't tell, showing, telling

From Scott: Most of us know the story of Achilles, a warrior and hero from Greek mythology. According to the legend, his mother, Thetis (a nymph-goddess) took him as a baby and dipped him in the river Styx to make