Tips for using fewer words for greater impact I am not against adjectives or adverbs. They can help emphasize a point. Add cadence and flow. Even create a poetic feel to dialogue and narrative. However, sometimes adjectives and adverbs can do the opposite. They can bog a story down, hinder the flow of a sentence, … Continue reading Writing Without Adjectives and Adverbs
I find it incredibly helpful to ask myself: "What happens in this scene that causes the next scene to take place?" For me, this is a pretty quick way to figure out if the pacing of the story is as tight as it can be, and if the plot and characters are moving the story … Continue reading Writing Tip: Cause and Effect
by Ann Marie Williams Keep those creative juices flowing this Halloween! What if each group of costumes was a writing prompt? What story could you conjure up in which those characters all come together?
by Ann Marie Williams © 2021 It's not uncommon to see depictions of writers furiously typing away at their computer, pummeling out line after line of their story as inspiration and genius flows from their thoughts to their fingers. But the reality is, that only happens about 10% of the time (and that's being generous). … Continue reading Don’t Wait for Genius to Burn
© 2021 by Ann Marie Williams Concept gets them in the door... Story gets them to stay... Characters get them to come back... Yes, it's a super broad generalization. But I think this general idea is worth considering... Concept Gets Them in the Door A potential audience will be drawn to a project (a book, … Continue reading Concept. Story. Character.
by Ann Marie Williams © 2021 Writing takes time. Simple, I know. But I didn't realize I hadn't fully accepted this until last year when I quit agonizing over how long it was taking to fix aspects of my story. Once I accepted that it would take a while, I started making breakthroughs far quicker … Continue reading Writing Takes Time
by Ann Marie Williams © 2021 As mentioned in my previous post, after finishing another season of screenplay competition judging, I'm taking a look at some of the more common issues I saw among submitted scripts. However, today's topic applies as much to novels as it does to scripts. That's because today I'm look at: … Continue reading Conveying Exposition Through Dialogue
Two "Simple" Questions to Ask Yourself by Ann Marie Williams © 2020 Some problems a story faces are easy to fix. But, sometimes I'll find myself deep into my work in progress, struggling to fix a fairly massive issue (or, at least, it sure feels massive when I can't find the solution). I don't mind … Continue reading When You’re Stuck on a Problem in Your Story…
by Ann Marie Williams, © 2020 One of the biggest roadblocks to my writing doesn’t stem from plot holes, character arcs, or finding ways to hide exposition. It’s that little voice that whispers, “There might not be a solution to this.” I firmly believe there is a solution for every problem a story encounters. That … Continue reading A Solution Exists
Think through your script: is there a moment where the audience would say, “Now’s a good moment to get more snacks”? If so, probably a good idea to revise (or delete) that part of the script.
by Ann Marie Williams For the majority of a story, scenes should fall into each other like dominos. In other words, each scene should be the catalyst for the next. One domino (scene) causes the next to fall — a scene unable to play out without the one before it. This applies to the story … Continue reading Scenes are like Dominos…
by Ann Marie Williams © 2020 We're finally here! The last post in my week long discussion of concept, plot, structure, format, and theme — how each are unique, and how each affect one another. I've been giving my explanation of these terms, their role in storytelling, and how they interrelate with each other. As … Continue reading WRITING TIPS: WHAT IS THEME?
by Ann Marie Williams © 2020 Each day this week I'm discussing one of the following writing terms: concept, plot, structure, format, and theme. I'll give my explanation of the terms, their role in storytelling, and how they interrelate with each other since, even though each term represents a different attribute of story, they do … Continue reading WRITING TIPS: WHAT IS FORMAT?
by Ann Marie Williams © 2020 If you've been reading my last few posts, you already know that each day this week I'm taking a look at one of the following terms: concept, plot, structure, format, and theme. I'll give my explanation of the terms, their role in storytelling, and how they interrelate with each … Continue reading WRITING TIPS: WHAT IS STRUCTURE?
by Ann Marie Williams © 2020 This week I'm discussing the terms concept, plot, structure, format, and theme. Each is a different attribute of story, but each also affects one another (e.g. structure affects plot, plot affects theme). So, since that can complicate how we define and understand each term, I'm going to look at … Continue reading WRITING TIPS: WHAT IS PLOT?
Screenplay Competitions 