Port of Call

The Daily Port of Call: July 30, 2014

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find four different types of conflict in dialogue, the tyranny of motive, and why zombies are consuming our culture.

“To reach full effectiveness, conflict must be varied. Some of your scenes will require full-on red-zone confrontations, but others—depending on the featured characters and what is at stake for them—will be better served by the faintest undercurrent of tension.” Discover the four different types of conflict in dialogue.

“We long for something else, something better, something deeper and purer and truer, even if we have no clear idea what that might be, or how to go about naming it, let alone finding it. And as writers we transmit that yearning to our characters.” Explore the tyranny of motive.

Why are zombies consuming our culture? “’[H]orror’ often reflects much of what we’re facing as a society.”

How do you find time to write? “Life is always going to be in the way.” Here are tips from a writing superstar.

Check out these lessons learned from writing a first novel.

Left in a drawer: Five authors talk about projects that failed to come to fruition.

The Daily Port of Call: July 29, 2014

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find twenty-five tips for writing a winning short story, the secret weapon of every successful writer, and why even pantsers should do a little planning.

Here are twenty-five tips for writing a winning short story. “[D]ue to the rise in e-books and e-magazines, length is no longer an issue for publication, so there’s a growing market for short fiction.”

Your characters will evolve and grow if you let them: Don’t be limited by your first vision.

Discover the secret weapon of every successful writer.

Use minimalist writing to unpack your verbs. “The goal in unpacking strong verbs is to connect the reader with the character through their actions. First the character has to be involved in what they’re doing, then the reader can become involved.”

Even pantsers should do a little planning: “It’s fine to ‘let ‘er rip,’ but here’s a cautionary note: a writer must think his story through before putting a single word on the page.”

“It’s plain to see that our characters are more than just words on a page to us.” Here are the five relationships every writer has with her characters.