4 Writing Lessons from a Novel Contest Judge - Deepstash
4 Writing Lessons from a Novel Contest Judge

4 Writing Lessons from a Novel Contest Judge

Curated from: quotidianwriter.medium.com

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Overview: 4 Lessons

Overview: 4 Lessons

  1. The most difficult writing problem to fix is narrative flow
  2. Opening with an action-heavy scene won’t have an impact unless the reader cares about the characters
  3. A single difference in a sea of sameness can elevate a novel
  4. Writers must recognize their own potential

20

148 reads

VE SCHWAB

Writers must recognize their own potential

VE SCHWAB

14

73 reads

A single difference in a sea of sameness can elevate a novel

A single difference in a sea of sameness can elevate a novel

  • I can’t understate the importance of having an exciting feature that becomes the essence of the work
  • It’s better to write a memorable-yet-flawed book rather than one that’s polished but resembles a hundred other stories.

15

89 reads

Opening with an action-heavy scene won’t have an impact unless the reader cares about the characters

Opening with an action-heavy scene won’t have an impact unless the reader cares about the characters

  • Readers are often attracted to contradictions, like a character who’s a kindergarten teacher shoplifting from a candy store
  • Try showing something personal about the character that only the reader gets to see
  • Open with a situation where the protagonist is pitted against their flaw
  • Scale down the problem the character is facing in the opening as a way to put the focus on smaller, more relatable struggles

16

73 reads

The most difficult writing problem to fix is narrative flow

The most difficult writing problem to fix is narrative flow

  • The writer should be confident about what they’re putting on the page and try to evoke a unique idea
  • The writer needed to develop a sense of pacing and voice on a sentence level
  • Engagement is about creating that liminal zone between reader comfort and uncertainty

15

77 reads

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