My Courses

• Types of third-person point of views By far, the most common point of view used in literature is that of third-person. When the narrator is not a character in a story, a third-person point of view is being used.  • Use third–person limited for greater clarityOne type of third-person point of view is third-person limited. This is when the narrator tells…

“Mam” refers to a member of a Mayan people of southwestern Guatemala or to the language they speak. “Ma’am” is the correct spelling of the polite address of a woman, as in “Thank you for the change, ma’am.” ______________________ My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the…

You’re at a coffee shop or a party or a writer’s workshop, and someone asks you what you are writing – a short story or a novel? You pause for a moment, wondering if what you’re really writing is a novella. So what is it? There’s no hard or fast rule about what is a short…

“Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman’s name out of a satire then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you…

“I don’t feel I’m finished with a book until it’s remaindered.” – Joseph Heller “If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.” – H.G. Wells “The scariest moment is always just before you start.” – Stephen King “I just sit at…

• Avoid writing schizophrenic story • List rules to maintain internal consistency • Consider employing a deceiver in your plot • Use subplot to give story more depth• Don’t overwhelm reader with too many subplots • Avoid plot error of reader cheating in your story• Utilize literary dream device with caution• Score story plot points with head fake • Consider structuring story with ‘plot inversion’ • Use plot coupon to drive…

Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine. To that end, try this tip: How can you incorporate “real life” into a story scene involving something that you’ve never experienced? For example, on an interstellar flight, what are the feelings…

Ever get a feeling when hearing these two words that you don’t quite know what one means? “Literal” means you’re saying exactly what happened. “Figurative” means you’re speaking metaphorically. So, during a headache, one’s head “figuratively explodes” not “literally explodes.” ______________________ My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which…