Category Archives: Newsletter

Craft of Writing: Ensure Descriptive Writing Serves a PurposeWhen writing description, always make sure it serves a purpose. Any description should move along the plot, help develop characters and dramatic tension. READ MORE NOW ON AUDIOBOOK! Storytelling 101 Quick Read SeriesNeed tips on plotting your novel? Starting your story? Selecting the best point of view? WritingContinue reading “Ensure Descriptive Writing Serves a Purpose – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 29, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Make Use of Local DexterityOne of the kindest things writers can do for their readers is employ “local dexterity.” This occurs when images, sentences, paragraphs and scenes are pleasurable to read because of their vividness. READ MORE Storytelling 101 Quick Read Series ReleasedYou’re writing a book…or trying to self-publish it…or maybe attempting toContinue reading “Make Use of Local Dexterity – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 22, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Add Color to Your ManuscriptEven if your story offers a lot of dramatic tension and the sentences are tightly constructed, it still can feel a bit monochrome or colorless. When that occurs, the writing probably is not particularly vivid. Rather than read like a piece of fiction, the story instead will feel likeContinue reading “Add Color to Your Manuscript – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 15, 2026”

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”