writing craft

Stop Separating Description and Dialogue: Let Beats Do the Work

One of the fastest ways to weaken a scene is to split dialogue and description into separate paragraphs when they belong together. Writers often think they’re adding depth by spacing things out. In reality, they’re diluting momentum, repeating information, and—worse—introducing POV problems the reader can feel even if they can’t name. Let’s talk about how dialogue beats work, and why combining dialogue and description often makes scenes tighter, clearer, and more immersive. The Problem: Fragmented … Read more

Stop “Beginning to Do” Things: Why -ING Verbs Weaken Your Writing

If your sentences are constantly “beginning,” “starting,” or “continuing” to do something, I’ve got bad news: your writing is dragging its feet. Even worse, it’s announcing that it’s dragging its feet. Phrases like: are some of the most common culprits in weak, flabby writing. They don’t add meaning. They delay action. And they quietly drain energy from your sentences. Let’s talk about why this happens—and how to fix it. The Real Problem Isn’t -ING. It’s … Read more

Stop Telling Readers How Things Feel: Let Verbs Do the Work

If your writing keeps explaining how something felt, chances are the sentence already proves it—and then ruins it by over-explaining. This is one of the most common issues I see when editing manuscripts, especially in memoir, nonfiction, and reflective fiction. Writers don’t trust the sentence to carry meaning on its own, so they step in and explain the experience instead. The result? Softer prose, slower pacing, and emotional distance. Let’s fix that. The Problem: Emotional … Read more

Stop Filtering Your POV: Trust the Scene to Speak for Itself

Once a point of view is established, you don’t need to keep reminding the reader who is seeing, noticing, or realizing things. Yet many writers do exactly that—over and over—by inserting the viewpoint character between the reader and the scene. This is called POV filtering, and while it’s a common habit, it weakens immersion, slows pacing, and creates unnecessary distance between the reader and the story. Let’s fix it. What POV Filtering Looks Like POV … Read more

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