Two mistakes can ruin our presentation of what our character is thinking: telling rather than showing, and interior monologue.  Here are ways to present thoughts in a way that grabs the reader.  Also, how Octavia Butler worked.  And examples of wonderful character descriptions from masterful writers.  

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Sometimes the strongest writing technique isn't the strongest in our story.  Every writing rule has exceptions, and here's a discussion on when to make exceptions.  Also, how to create a strong title for our novel and short story. 

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We are learning fiction techniques, and we are or soon will be skilled fiction writers.  Does this mean we should design our own book covers?  Also, Michael Chabon's terrific sense of smell.  And the use of details in the haunted house.

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Having readers fall in love with our character is so important, and making our hero an underdog is a good way to do it.  Here are thoughts on underdog characters.  Also, I'll read a few character descriptions from master story-tellers that may make us stronger writers.

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Our story should be like a state fair: one thing after another.  Here are some ideas on state fair plotting.  Plus: settings shouldn't be inert locations in our novel or short story but rather should work for our story.  Here's how to get the most from our settings.  Also: my experiment with AI proofreading.

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Readers want five things in a story, three of which are right in the beginning.  Here's a discussion of how to deliver those five things.  Plus, a character's thoughts are the least interesting aspect of a story.  How can we show what a character is thinking without entering her mind?

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Best-selling writers disagree on the importance of a theme in stories.  Here are thoughts on whether we should present a theme in our novel or short story.  And famous authors on their writing discipline.  Plus, mixing genres when telling an agent or publisher about our novel.

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Putting a sidekick into our story adds many benefits, a main one being that readers love sidekicks.  Here are some techniques for creating a sidekick for our novel or short story.  Also, a list of catchy, memorable novel titles.  And a big question: how do bad novels get published?

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Were a young writer to ask me for advice, and only had one minute to listen, here is what I'd say.  Plus: how Louisa May Alcott worked.  And, avoiding the blahs and self-doubts when writing.

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Remember the fabulous worlds that fantasy, sci fi, and historical writers create for us readers?  How do they do that?  What works so well?  I'll talk about world-building, not just for those novels but for all genres.  And also: more on the critical craft of character description.

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