Susan DeFreitas

According to neuroscience, scenes make the reader feel as if they are actually in the world of the story. And ...
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To truly put your reader in the emotional position of your POV character, focus on conveying body language and internal ...
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Before spending time on a story that doesn’t work, ensure you’ve addressed the critical questions of character, plot, goals and ...
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Switching POVs within the same scene should only be tackled by experienced fiction writers, and only when it reveals something ...
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Science says these three techniques can draw your readers in, keep them engaged, and provide them with a compelling experience ...
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It takes grit to seek and implement qualified feedback, and to keep finding ways to improve a manuscript even after ...
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Tips for avoiding stereotypes and tokenism, and presenting more interesting, complex, three-dimensional queer characters ...
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In times of sickness, cultural upheaval, and real existential threats, perhaps stories matter more than ever ...
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A story intro that shows internal trouble, signaling the beginning of a character arc, makes agents and editors sit up ...
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Imbuing a character’s story with your own life experience—the good, bad, ugly and transformational—unleashes your book’s full emotional power ...
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What’s the difference between a story and a narrative that merely relates a series of events? The protagonist’s internal struggle ...
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Character arc—a protagonist’s internal journey—is less obvious than the events of the plot, but it’s what makes a story meaningful ...
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When sociopolitical discourse seems entrenched, good fiction can dig deeper with honest curiosity about all facets of the human experience ...
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In the last of a three-part series we examine the advantages and disadvantages of starting with theme, as opposed to ...
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Writers focused on plot are often strong when it comes to world-building and “big ideas,” but there are inherent challenges ...
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Fiction writers who start with character, as opposed to plot or theme, have certain advantages—and certain challenges ...
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To create the alchemical magic of emotion in your fiction, you need to approach the challenge from more than one ...
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When placed intentionally, crafted well, and set up via emotional context and backstory, scene might be the writer’s most powerful ...
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Factual details can be great fuel for your writing, but it’s crucial to recognize when adherence to them is getting ...
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There’s a good chance that getting these essential elements right are among the biggest challenges you’ll face with your novel ...
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There’s only one thing that any novel must do if it’s going to succeed, and that’s arouse the reader’s curiosity ...
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Publication is elusive and in many ways out of your hands, but feeling seen is something that writers can offer ...
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Writing can be a lonely process, and it’s easy to feel stuck. Editors and coaches can help identify the common ...
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To gauge your manuscript’s pitch-readiness, turn a critical eye to the query letter, synopsis, and first fifty pages ...
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The science suggests that repetition can make a new practice reach the “second nature” part of your brain sooner, creating ...
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Employing the science of captivating rewards is one way to keep yourself excited about and engaged with a big writing ...
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In some ways, the idea behind neurohacks is simple: Fake it till you make it. Or, fake it until it ...
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Many dream of publishing a book, but actually sitting down to write one seems hard. Preparation and limiting your choices ...
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A lot of the people who genuinely want to write a book never do so, because they never find a ...
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Don’t feel like you have to go it alone—others are on the same journey, ready to offer encouragement and applaud ...
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Studies show that making meaningful progress toward big goals is best served by focusing on the small steps that will ...
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A book is often the product of teamwork. The ability to revise—to accept feedback and apply it with diligence and ...
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Writing takes grit and so does publishing, but your odds are better if you understand what you’re up against. In ...
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When novelists struggle to pitch their work, it may have more to do with the book itself than the query ...
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In many ways, it’s never been harder to get a traditional book deal. At the same time, there have never ...
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If you recognize the following characteristics in the critiques of your work, it may not just be inept—it may, in ...
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