Articles written by Camy Tang
All 41 articles written by Camy Tang
Increase the Tension of a Scene: Building Peaks in the Story Through Conflict
Category: Writing Techniques
Build the story toward the climax by ramping up conflict in scenes. more...
Building Toward the Climax: Novel Writing Tips: Increasing Pressure On the Protagonist of a Novel
Category: Writing Techniques
Make the middle of the novel ramp up the tension and conflict and set the reader up for the exciting climax. more...
When a Scene Isn't Working: Tips For Overcoming Writer's Block
Category: Writing Techniques
Here are three questions to ask when a particular scene seems stalled. more...
The Decision That Starts the Story: Knowing How and Where to Begin Your Novel
Category: Writing Techniques
Start your story in such a way that the reader has to buy the book to keep reading. more...
Finding Telling and Fixing It: How to Show Instead of Tell
Category: Writing Techniques
Here are some tips for identifying when a novelist "tells" instead of "shows" and how to fix it. more...
Grammar, Punctuation, and Style for Fiction: Some Tips on Style Used by Publishing Houses
Category: Writing Techniques
Writers should be aware that the style books used at colleges may be different from the style book used by a publishing house for novels. more...
Tips for How to Present Backstory: Make a Character’s Past History Compelling
Category: Writing Techniques
Here are some good tricks to use when writing backstory in a novel so that the reader is intrigued by the information. more...
Establish the Character Viewpoint: Start the Scene Quickly in Someone’s Point of View
Category: Writing Techniques
Utilize these tips in establishing the point of view character when opening a scene. more...
Create a Relatable Character: Use Tips and Tricks to Create Character Empathy
Category: Character Development
In the first five pages of a novel, use actions or traits that psychologically cause readers to relate to or like a character very quickly. more...
Avoid Info Dumps in Dialogue: Strengthen Dialogue By Eliminating Telling
Category: Writing Techniques
Eliminating the Info Dump in dialogue will create mystery that keeps your reader riveted while strengthening the prose. more...
Make Great Character Names: Add Depth and Emotion by Naming Your Characters Carefully
Category: Character Development
Be judicious in how you name your characters, paying attention to details and not just name meanings, in order to add color, depth, and power to your characters. more...
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
Here is a bio paragraph from a real query letter from an author who was unpublished at the time. more...
A Writing Career on a Budget: Money-Saving Tips for Novelists
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
Here are tips for developing writing skills, improving craft, and taking advantage of resources inexpensively. more...
Knowing Your Characters: Some Tips for Getting Into Your Character’s Story
Category: Character Development
Here are some ways to know your character more deeply, which might solve plot or story problems as you write your novel. more...
How to Utilize Subtexting in Dialogue: Take Dialogue to a Deeper Level
Category: Writing Techniques
Add subtlety and richness in meaning by incorporating the tricks of cross-talk in dialogue. more...
Writing Natural Dialogue: Tips for Making Dialogue Smoother and More Realistic
Category: Writing Techniques
Here are tips for making dialogue flow and sound more natural when a writer has been told the dialogue is stilted. more...
A Writer's Brand: Tips for Discovering a Writer’s Unique Niche in the Market
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
A writer's own particular brand can be hard to discover, but here are a few tips for helping to brainstorm your own unique writing brand. more...
Setting the Stage in the First Page: Immersing the Reader in the Novel Story World
Category: Writing Techniques
Skillfully drop the reader into the setting of the story by intriguing them without confusing them. more...
The Inciting Incident: How to Start a Story: Getting a Novel Underway
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
In popular fiction, every story should start with some sort of Change to indicate to the reader that the story problem is beginning. more...
Guide to Creating a Strong Character Arc: Tips on How to Plan a Character’s Journey
Category: Character Development
In popular fiction, every protagonist goes on a journey, whether physical or emotional. more...
Character External Goals: Why Characters Need Super-Objectives for Their Story Arcs
Category: Character Development
External goals are the backbone of your character's story arc, and they give the reader something active to follow. more...
The Value of the Unanticipated: Sprucing Up a Blah Scene by Adding Conflict
Category: Writing Techniques
A writer can inject unexpected disaster into an uninspiring scene to take it from boring to brilliant. more...
Fiction Writers – Avoid the Sagging Middle: Tips to Write a Dynamic Center Segment of a Novel
Category: Writing Techniques
Here are a few principles to help a writer avoid a stagnant or slow-paced middle section of a novel. more...
Tips for Writers – Beginnings to Avoid: Three Things That Weaken a Story Opening
Category: Writing Techniques
There are three aspects of a character's actions and decisions that can weaken the first chapters of an otherwise good story. more...
Category: Writing Techniques
Here are some more subtle ways to present exposition without obviously telling the reader. more...
Head-Hopping: What It is and Why to Avoid It
Category: Writing Techniques
Many beginning writers utilize quick switches in point of view, which is not used as often these days in the publishing industry. more...
Save the Backstory For Later: Why Not to Present Backstory in the First Chapter
Category: Writing Techniques
There are three reasons why it's usually best for a writer not to include backstory in a novel's first chapter. more...
Opening a Scene In a Character's Viewpoint: Some Do’s and Don’ts For Establishing Point of View
Category: Writing Techniques
There are a few things to keep in mind when establishing the point of view character at the beginning of a scene. more...
The Basics of Introducing a Character: A Few Main Points for When a Character Steps on the Page
Category: Character Development
Three things to remember when introducing a character, whether the main character or a minor one. more...
Tweak a Cliché Into Something Original: Take a Tired Phrase and Make It Zing
Category: Writing Techniques
Utilize a writer's voice, a writer's brand, phrase additions, and key words to change clichéd phrases into fresh prose. more...
Shorten Your Dialogue: Improve Pacing and Add Emotion With More Deliberate Dialogue
Category: Writing Techniques
Often, shorter dialogue lines with more deliberate word choices can improve a scene's pace and create greater emotional impact. more...
Category: Writing Techniques
A writer can bump their writing up to the next level and make it sparkle by being careful and thoughtful about each word used. more...
Query Letters - Listing Credentials: Make Your Bio Powerful and Informative
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
Here are a few tips to make the bio section of a query letter as good as it can be. more...
Increase Character Conflict: Make Characters and the Story More Interesting By Increasing Conflic
Category: Character Development
Here are some tips for making a bland or episodic story more interesting by introducing deep character conflicts. more...
Effective Brainstorming for Writers: How to Make the Most of Collecting Ideas
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
Brainstorming all aspects of a story can be made more effective and efficient with these simple tips. more...
Writing Riveting Dialogue: Tips For Taking Dialogue to the Next Level
Category: Writing Techniques
Here are a few key elements needed to make dialogue sparkle. more...
A Writer's Genre: Tips for Novelists Trying to Determine a Genre
Category: Writing Genre Fiction
For novelists who write a variety of genres, here are a few tips for how they can nail down which one(s) to focus on. more...
Avoiding Episodic Writing: Make the Character Proactive Rather Than Reactive
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
Eliminate episodic scenes by giving the character an External Goal, Obstacles against that goal, and Forward Movement in the story. more...
Crafting a Riveting Opening Hook: Grabbing the Reader’s Attention From the First Paragraph
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
A novel needs to start with something so captivating that the reader is compelled to move on. This is called the Opening Hook. more...
The Five Basic Story Elements: The Key Elements Needed Before the Novel is Written
Category: Writing Fiction (general)
In order to craft a more cohesive story, writers should make sure they have these five elements in mind before they start or very soon after they begin writing. more...
The Story Crucible: The Factor that Keeps the Character in Trouble
Category: Character Development
Every story needs a firm reason the character can't just walk away from the story trouble. This is called the story crucible. more...
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