The golden rule: The story is king Of course the story is king! It seems obvious, but sometimes authors get off track and climb onto a soapbox. If you’ve ever written a story and received feedback that it was “too preachy”, I have a few tips that might help. (Useful Read more…
I know that most people subscribed to my blog don’t care about this issue. I’m glad they don’t, because it’s not something I’d wish on anyone! Which is why I’m going to publish this fix, because if it helps someone else (like my post on how to make Scrivener display properly Read more…
Every once in a while during my online wanderings, I find a gold mine. Atlas Obscura is a collection of weird and interesting facts (people, places, inventions, animals, discoveries), sure to spark ideas in the writer’s brain. The posts are short and usually photo-rich, and you can even have a digest Read more…
![By Jspeed1310 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.teddideppner.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/emoji-smiles_angry_face.png)
This fall and winter I’ve heard more friends talk about social media pain than ever before. Unfriending over politics isn’t new. Long before friendships went online, there was a long-standing social rule (in some circles) about not talking politics or religion. At least not at social gatherings that were intended Read more…
Novels have long been treated as the ultimate, most legitimate story form for fiction writers. Novels are still the dominant story form, but with the changes in reading tech other forms are gaining popularity. Transformation in technology over the past 20 years have created an entirely different landscape for creators Read more…
Last month I had another chance to guest blog at AlmostAnAuthor.com, under the monthly Splickety Sentinel column. In my role as associate acquisitions editor at Splickety, I’ve seen a lot of stories. I share some tips about how to engage a reader’s emotions in less than 1,000 words. There were some examples I Read more…