Margie Lawson Hmm…  Cold hard stare. Have you read that descriptor before? Maybe more than once? More than a dozen times? What about variations on these lines: She narrowed her eyes to slits. His eyes popped open as wide as saucers. She scowled. He arched a sardonic eyebrow. What happens when readers read phrases or […]

Margie Lawson Clichés pop in a writer's mind as fast as lightning. They cover the bases.  Clichés roll onto your page like gumballs rolling out of a gumball machine. They require no more thought than swatting a fly. They fit like a pair of old shoes. They sound right, look right, feel right as rain. I get a bee […]

Margie Lawson We at WITS are so happy to have Margie back with us, after a too-long hiatus!  Wisdom ahead! Ready for two treats? First Treat: This blog is loaded with examples of power, power, power. The kind of power that boosts your writing toward contracts and awards and bestseller lists. Second Treat: I’ll deep […]

Margie Lawson Writers know the cautions about backstory. I’d bet every basic how-to book for writers warns against overwhelming readers with too much backstory. Backstory usually kills pacing. Backstory usually kills momentum. Backstory usually kills your chances with an agent or editor. What is backstory? It’s story history that the writer needs to know to […]

Margie Lawson When people talk, subtext happens. Every time. You can’t say one word without sharing subtext. Subtext for dialogue: The psychological message behind the words. When the words and the subtext are incongruent, the truth is in the subtext. In the real world, we factor in subtext all the time. On the page, we […]