Key Details

Show your reader what your protagonist sees.

Last night, when I resumed reading the detective story, I didn’t expect a lesson in the craft of fiction. But two-thirds through her tale, Australian novelist Kerry Greenwood offered a great example for writers who want to evoke emotion.

In chapter 9 of Flying Too High, set in 1928 Melbourne, private detective Phryne Fisher visits the … Continue reading

Online Research Risks

There’s nothing like spending time on site.

No matter your book’s setting, readers expect you’ll not only set the scene with vivid details, but also that you’ll get those details right. It’s hard to achieve that if you’ve done all your research online.

My wife and I just returned from a … Continue reading

Too Much Detail

Readers don’t always need specific descriptions.

by Andy Scheer

In my most recent fiction critique, I told the author he sometimes provided descriptions that were too detailed.

What was wrong with them? They provided information a reader could supply on her own.

Unlike films, books have the opportunity to enlist readers as an active participant. Authors offer enough to trigger a reader’s imagination, and she fills in … Continue reading