Ryan Lanz's Blog, page 21

How to Write an Irresistible Love Triangle

Ah, the love triangle. For the romantically inclined, is there anything more enticing, more gut-wrenching? The passion, the torn desires, the often vastly different futures – it’s simply too much! *back of hand to forehead in fainting gesture!* Okay, I’ll stop. But in all seriousness, a well-written triangle can have your readers not only emotionally […]

Let Your Readers Think For Themselves

Not long ago, I did a post on showing vs. telling. I’d like to continue along that same vein by talking about ways to allow the reader to think for themselves without being spoon-fed. We often have characters discovering things. It’s a lot of fun to experience them learning new things on their own and […]

5 Productive Forms of Procrastination for Writers

Though we call ourselves writers and take pride in our work, sometimes it’s hard to get it done. We clean the house or walk the dog, leaving our manuscript reproachfully languishing as we procrastinate working on it. This can happen for any number of reasons, from being bored with the story to simply feeling blocked. […]

If You Fail Your Writing Goal

So, you failed your writing goal. What now?   “Building a creative dream life is not just about achieving, succeeding, or ‘meeting goals.’ It’s also about floundering, stumbling, tripping, and failing.” -Sark     If you’ve been a writer for any extended period of time, most likely, you’ve set a writing goal for yourself. More […]

Why Pinterest May Be The Greatest Website For Writers

There are countless social media sites out on the internet, each of them offering us different means to share our thoughts and life with other people. For authors, social media can help us out in many different ways. Book promotion, connecting with fans, networking with other authors… and that’s just to name a few. A […]

5 Ways to Stretch Your Word Count

This time last year, I thought my newest New Adult speculative fiction work-in-progress about the collective subconscious and evil corporations was finished and ready for the world. Since then, I have gotten sidetracked by the release of my first novel entitled The Black Oracle and by the launching of my full-time writing career. During all this time, I […]

Minding Your Pinch Points in Fiction Writing

A few people have recently asked me what Pinch Points are, which made me wonder if others are struggling with what they are and how to use them. After a quick Google search, I realized there isn’t really much written on the subject, oddly enough. And they are crucial milestones in fiction writing because they […]

Finding Your Writing Voice

I’ve always been secretly embarrassed by what I write, but not in the way that most genre authors are. I never had a high school English teacher or undergrad professor dress me down for writing fantasy instead of literary fiction. I’ve never left a critique at my grad school feeling like I was metaphorically bleeding. And yet, I […]

Finding Your Writing Voice

I’ve always been secretly embarrassed by what I write, but not in the way that most genre authors are. I never had a high school English teacher or undergrad professor dress me down for writing fantasy instead of literary fiction. I’ve never left a critique at my grad school feeling like I was metaphorically bleeding. And yet, I […]

Why We Pound on the Publishing Door

Why do fiction magazines reject so many of the stories they receive?  Same answer as the one promised in the title and I’m going to answer up front. It’s because we’re all still children on the playground, clamoring for approval.  You want the longer answer?  Keep reading. I got a rejection today on a short […]