by Lisa Hall-Wilson

Backstory – how much of what’s happened before our stories take place, do readers really need to understand our characters? Many newer writers fall into the trap of using too much backstory, with the author voice summarizing and explaining.… Read the post

by Lisa Hall-Wilson

In deep point of view, the goal is to immerse the reader in the character’s lived experience of the story journey. The reader isn’t being told a story by an author about one, or many, characters. Rather, the character is living out this story in real time with the reader in their head the whole time.… Read the post

by Lisa Hall-Wilson

Looking for a quick effective way to take your writing up a notch? Subtext. K.M. Weiland calls it the black belt of fiction writing. When you can replace spoken dialogue with silent communication, with familiarity, shared goals, etc.… Read the post

by Lisa Hall-Wilson

No one likes reading an info dump, but we writers justify their existence because we’re sure the reader needs all this background information here, right now. Info dumps kill the pace and tension in your story and readers may just put down your book and walk away forever.… Read the post

by Lisa Hall-Wilson

Trauma and mental health issues can be uncomfortable to discuss, but there’s no denying the internal conflict these storylines intrinsically create. We live in a society that prioritizes politeness, civility, predictability, and generally keeping a lid on things.… Read the post