Tag: author writing tips

How to Turn Your Script into a Novel

author Karen SchiffGuest Post
by Karen Schiff

Let’s say you wrote a sensational screenplay. Or a must-see stage play. But you’re having trouble getting it produced. Maybe it’s time to turn that script into a novel.

I’m a playwright and I did just that.

Over the years, some of my plays were repeatedly selected for staged readings, but not offered full productions. It’s a common experience for those of us the theater world deems “emerging playwrights.” After mulling over my options, including chucking it all and becoming a Pilates instructor, I had an idea. So I hopped online and Googled: “How to turn your play into a novel.” The number of search results?

Zero. Continue reading “How to Turn Your Script into a Novel”

Telegraphing Versus Foreshadowing

MorseschreiberFirst, as an editor, it makes me a little squirmy to write blog posts about “how” to write. Beyond basic grammar and clarity, the rules of writing, especially in fiction, are a kind of flexible armature and differ according to the author, the genre, and the situation. However, I’ve been seeing something in fiction lately that makes me want to slam my head against the keyboard: telling readers in quite unsubtle terms that the plot is about to take a shocking turn. The device is commonly called telegraphing. Continue reading “Telegraphing Versus Foreshadowing”

Do You Know How Others See Your Writing?

disparity is evilDisparity — defined as the lack of agreement between internal perceptions with external behavior. So what does that have to do with writing? Simply put, what we think about our writing is always different from the public’s perception. There’s a huge gap in what we see in our writing and what others see in it.

“So what, of course there’s a huge difference.”

Sometimes that difference can be bad, as the Evil Mastermind explored in this article about Misadventures in Wordcraft. Those are just little instances – sentences, phrases, awkward misplaced modifiers. Of course, then there are the big picture instances where you don’t make your point at all. Continue reading “Do You Know How Others See Your Writing?”

Why Writers Should Read

mark twain readingYou’ve heard the advice often enough: To be a writer, you should write, because that’s how you get better as a writer. But you should also read as much as you can.

For those of us who never met a school reading assignment they didn’t like (Lynne raises her hand), this is the best news ever. But those of us who regarded their college-prep reading list with deep suspicion are going to be less than thrilled. Continue reading “Why Writers Should Read”