I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be running a workshop on tension for Clarion West this May! Come join me for an exploration of the different kinds of tension and how they shape the reader experience.– Tied Up in Strings: How Internal Tension Moves Your Characters with Susan J. Morris Explore the difference between cross-tension […]
For years, I had this terrible tendency NOT to ask for help, as if someone else helping me meant the story was any less mine. As if acknowledgment lists in books weren’t basically short stories. But I saw that the other members of my writing group were so much better about asking for help, and […]
We talk all the time about how to shore up our weaknesses. That’s basically what getting a critique is all about! And it’s super useful. But not having huge weaknesses is just what makes a book acceptable. What makes a book brilliant is its strengths. So how can you learn to make your crazy diamonds […]
Something I’ve been working on while brainstorming is mapping out themes and concepts that are sparkly to my brain. Time will tell if it’s useful, but it was really interesting to me, especially in the context of analyzing my past work, and examining areas I haven’t yet explored. It also made me feel super connected […]
Imagine for a moment everything your character cares about—Love, Friendship, Family, Country, Ideals, Religion, Tradition, Self, and Things More Specific—as a string, wrapped around your character. The more your character cares about that thing, the tighter that string is pulled—the more tension on the line. The more strings? The more interesting it gets. Tension […]
