Everyone knows that your characters need to go through arcs. They need to change, or grow, or learn a lesson, or discover something about themselves before the story's over. Don't believe it. Plenty of great stories are led by static characters. Most writing guides will insist that every character you create needs to be dynamic …
Working with Editors
So you've sold your book to a publisher. Maybe your agent went toe-to-toe with a greedy editor and convinced them to give you your damn money. Maybe you had to do the negotiations yourself--either way, you've experienced the horror of professional writing now. You've come face to face with the most existentially terrifying fact of …
Unconventional Devices: Direct Address
Any story is a conversation between a writer and a reader. There's an unspoken agreement you make when you pick up a book--the author is going to tell you a story, maybe even try to make a point, and they know you're listening and (hopefully) paying attention. That's a lot to ask from a reader, …
Questions People Ask Writers
What are you working on? Is it finished? When can we see it? Do you have a day job? Are you published? But seriously, what do you do for money? Are you also looking for a real job? Is your book any good? How long did it take you to write it? Are you published? …
Writing When You Just Can’t
Note: I was sick as a dog this week, so this one is going to be pretty quick. It's also more practical than my usual entry. Please note as well that there will be no update next week, due to the imminent holiday. Thanks. There are days when you just can't write a word. Days …
Finding the Heart of a Story
It's hard enough just putting a story together. Keeping track of all the details, making sure it all makes sense. There is an endless series of decisions that have to be made before the story comes together, before it feels like it's done. But there's one question a lot of writers forget to ask along …
Second Person and Present Tense: Why and Why Not
I risk coming off like a grumpy old man in this post, which is something I'll just have to live with. It's my assertion, though, that second person viewpoint and the present tense are overused in modern writing, and that outside of certain usages they should be shunned. Let's start with second person, that is, …
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Flatness and Feeling: Three Recent Works
Note: The following post contains minor spoilers for the plots of All Systems Red, Ancillary Justice, and Blade Runner 2049. Probably the major theme of recent science fiction has been the way technology distances us from our own emotions. One of the devices authors and directors use to explore this distancing effect is intentionally flattening …
The Dreaded Infodump
Exposition is a crucial part of any story. It's how you create your world and how you share it with your reader. Yet it's also a great way to bring your narrative flow to a crashing halt and bore anyone who was kind enough to pick up your book. Writers often decry the "infodump", the …
DAVID WELLINGTON 
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