Need and desire are two distinct yet crucial story elements, often misunderstood as a single step. In The Anatomy of Story, John Truby explains how need drives internal transformation while desire propels external action. Understanding and balancing both can elevate your storytelling and deepen audience engagement.
Tag Archives: writingtips
“Never name an emotion,” says K.M.Weiland in Helping Writers Become Authors
Explore K.M. Weiland’s insights on crafting deeply emotional fiction in this blog post inspired by the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast episode, ‘6 Tips to Write Deeply Emotional Fiction.’ Discover why emotions should arise naturally from your story’s context and why ‘naming an emotion’ should be a last resort. Share your thoughts and learn how to master showing emotions through subtext, actions, and reactions. Join the conversation now!
How authors can use Text Expander software to save time and improve accuracy.
Learn how authors can use text expander software to improve accuracy and save time
Consistency in Narrative POV
See what Lisa Zeidner has to say about mastering narrative POV in fiction.
How to narrate the past of the past. Using the past perfect tense.
Learn about how to use narrative tense to narrate the past of the past, i.e. past perfect tense.
What do readers need to see and know? Scene Technique advice for writers from Lisa Poisso.
Discover key insights on scene technique from writing coach Lisa Poisso in a 30-minute episode with hosts Louise and Denise. Learn the importance of building first drafts and refining scenes to show only what readers need. Dive into the craft of distinguishing what scenes can and should do to elevate your writing. Listen and reflect on how to decide what stays in your story. Find the episode link in this blog!
How to fix storytelling problems: Study how others did it.
Learn how a successful writer navigates tricky storytelling problems: she studies what other people do.
Should I use commas when listing adjectives?
Learn whether you need to use commas when listing adjectives. It’s all about the ‘and’ test.
Top Tip for Finding Errors in your Manuscript: Use Read Aloud
A blog post about how using Word’s Read Aloud function will allow you to find errors in your manuscript.
Go get ’em, tiger. How to punctuate contractions correctly.
Learn a quick tip to avoid a common apostrophe error in Microsoft Word and Google Docs! Today’s advice helps you spot the difference between an apostrophe and an opening quotation mark. Use ALT+0146 to ensure correct punctuation. Don’t worry if you forget—your editor will catch it, but mastering this trick gives you the upper hand!
CherryEdits 