Spice up conflict with “Yes, but” or “No, and”

Whenever you pose a binary question in your writing... Yes? No? Will they? Won't they? Victory? Or defeat? You have to resolve it one way or another. Looking for a "Yes but" or "No and" solution increases reader interest and can be used to develop character, raise stakes, and set up future conflict. https://youtu.be/xwg1ubFwcJw Writers:…

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Book Review: Bauchelain and Korbal Broach

The first collected tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach by Steven Erikson is wild and creative ribald fantasy at its best. If you've heard of Erikson and his Malazan empire, but you've been intimidated by the massive fantasy series, then this standalone trio of novellas is exactly the read for you. https://youtu.be/B8GH1k0wq7k …After all, my…

Book Review: Gideon the Ninth

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir is the first in a series of fantasy/scifi novels. It's tagline is Lesbian Necromancers in Spaaaace! And while it is that, that description is also hugely misleading, the story's biggest draw, in my opinion, is its delightfully bull-headed main character. A fun, fast novel, but first you have to…

Did Not Finish: 2 Types of Revision

There are many different types of revision, but I'm focusing on two general categories here:Creative, expansive revision, in which scenes are fleshed out, broadened, and explored further.versusCritical, contractive revision, in which redundant and unnecessary elements are removed. https://youtu.be/iFgs59pWWJk She was impressed. He was smart. He knew what he was doing. Unpredictable, brave, stupid. Rena caught…

Did Not Finish: Personal Stakes

A story is nothing without personal stakes. No matter how villainous the villain, or how lofty the goal, it doesn't matter to the reader unless it matters personally to the characters. In this post, I pick on a particular example of a book I did not finish because the life-and-death stakes didn't matter to the…