Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Speech is quoted. That's it. Direct thought is italicized. I try not to use inner dialogue unless it feels absolutely necessary. Much of what is said in direct thought can effectively be brought out in the narrative (with minor adjustments in wording). Narrative tags (is that a real term?) aren't qu...

I always do FINAL edits on a hard copy. Yes, it uses up a lot of paper and ink (um ... so does printing books, and I'm not about to argue with that practice), but it also gets you to see your ms with a fresh set of eyes. Different format (this also works on the computer: change your text font to som...

I've used a different technique for just about every project. The only one that I've done strictly in order from start to finish was my second novel, but I think that was because the thing flew out of my in only four weeks (and that included minor revising/editing along the way). I'll bounce around,...

I prefer HCs.

Crystal, You might also want to take an objective look at your overall story structure. The ending must answer the question(s) brought up in the beginning. The rest is just details. I wouldn't worry about doing something that's already been done to death either. Most of us are writing our own versio...

Haha. I wasn't trying to exact revenge on him. Not worth it. I was just wondering, since so many of us amateurs also blog about writing. It's easy to say to a pro, "That's great advice. Thanks." You can usually assume they know what they're talking about (although, yes, there is bad advice...

We're all learning, every day. In fact, that's why we're here, isn't it? How many of us are professionals? (don't answer that) I don't consider myself a professional, but I still think I have something worth sharing, aka whatever experience/knowledge I've gained since I started my writing venture. W...