by Jeanette Taylor | Jun 18, 2017 | Writing Tips
Get to Know Your Story Characters Whether it’s a real person you’re writing about, or a fictional one, you need to know everything about her. The good and the bad qualities, the quirks and charms. Only the tip of the iceberg of information you gather will ever...
by Jeanette Taylor | Apr 27, 2017 | Book & Movie Reviews, Writing Tips
Two Great Reads That Draw on Family Stories Does your family’s history have the drama needed for a wide readership? The answer lies not in content but in your ability to find its story threads, the glowing strands that have relevance and insights for others. That’s a...
by Jeanette Taylor | Mar 19, 2017 | Writing Tips
Showing Versus Telling in Your Writing There are two different narrative modes: the breezy, dash through background information or set up, in which the narrator tells us what’s happening—and sometimes even what to think. The advantage here is the ability to move fast...
by Jeanette Taylor | Feb 25, 2017 | Writing Tips
The Role of Settings in Fiction & Creative Nonfiction The setting might be of minimal importance in a story that focusses upon a character’s inner struggles, as in Nuala O’Faolain’s creative nonfiction biography Chicago May. Or place may be so important it takes...
by Jeanette Taylor | Feb 11, 2017 | Book & Movie Reviews, Writing Tips
The Art of History, Unlocking the Past in Fiction & Nonfiction, Christopher Bram Books about writing history are hard to find, so this new addition to the canon is a prize—in every sense. The Art of History is a slim volume that packs a lot of punch. Christopher...
by Jeanette Taylor | Dec 1, 2016 | Writing Tips
What is a “Story”? Think of a favourite family story. You’ve heard that tale repeatedly but it never fails to bring a gasp or a laugh. Now—deconstruct that story. It’s not likely to be a memory of a picnic on a perfect summer day, when everything went right....
