Category Archives: Newsletter

Craft of Writing: Maintain the Reader’s IllusionWhen writing any story, your goal ought to be to create and maintain a fictional dream, or an “illusion that there is no filter between reader and events that the reader is actually experiencing what he is reading,” as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. defines it. READ MOREContinue reading “Maintain the Reader’s Illusion – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 8, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Crack a Joke – But Only for a Good ReasonJust as in real life when humor is used to ease tension in social situations or to bond with another person, so jokes and comedy serves a purpose in your story. Unfortunately, a lot of novice writers don’t quite know when to inject humorContinue reading “Crack a Joke – But Only for a Good Reason – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 1, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Silence the Laugh TrackAnother way to tighten your writing is to leave out the laugh track. In comedy television shows, fake recorded laughter often is added to suggest that an audience is present – and to suggest to viewers at home that they also should find a joke humorous. In your story, aContinue reading “Silence the Laugh Track – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 25, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Switch out BookismsEver notice when reading a story that sometimes an odd word appears when “said” would do? For example, “Well, I’ve never!” she blustered. If so, you’ve just come across a bookism. A term coined by science fiction writer James Patrick Kelly, a bookism is a long word that means “said.” READContinue reading “Switch out Bookisms – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 18, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Prevent Countersinking from Dragging Down Your StoryOne way for an author to slow a story is to employ “countersinking.” A term coined by science fiction writer Lewis Shiner, countersinking involves making explicit the very actions that the story implies. An example is: “We need to hide,” she said, asking him to seek cover. READContinue reading “Prevent Countersinking from Dragging Down Your Story – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 11, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Pen Engaging DialogueNo doubt your story will include dialogue in which characters speak to one another. Unfortunately, too many beginning writers drag their story into a furrow of tedium by poorly handling dialogue. The problem is that their characters’ dialogue mirrors actual conversations too closely. READ MORE Everything You Need to Know toContinue reading “Pen Engaging Dialogue – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 4, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Use Plain English, PleaseEver read a sentence in a story and excogitate why the author couldn’t just use plain English? The author is guilty of polysyllabism, or using a long word for effect even though a shorter word is better. For example, the first sentence of this entry would have been writtenContinue reading “Use Plain English, Please – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 28, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Avoid Handwaving to Cover Story FlawSometimes when a car salesman has a shoddy vehicle to sell, he tries to distract you from the flaw by pointing out something that’s good – like turning up the radio and raving about the great sound system so you don’t hear the engine knock. READ MORE Self-PublishingContinue reading “Avoid Handwaving to Cover Story Flaw – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 21, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Cut Card Tricks in the DarkNo one likes a show off. Unfortunately, one way novice writers slow their story is by saying “Look see what I can do!” When they use such authorial cleverness for no purpose other than to show off, they’re guilty of using “card tricks in the dark,” a termContinue reading “Cut Card Tricks in the Dark – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 14, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Strike out NullsSometimes the only purpose of a story’s sentence is to say that nothing happened. Such sentences are called “nulls.” READ MORE Everything You Must Know to Self-Publish Your EbookYou’ve written a book and want to publish it as an ebook. But how do you do that? Maybe you’ve watched a videoContinue reading “Strike out Nulls – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 7, 2026”