Three Tips to Inject Life into Your Story Settings by Debbie Burke

When Elmore Leonard advised leaving out the parts that readers skip, he was probably referring to long, boring location descriptions that bring the story to a screeching halt.

But a rich setting is necessary to ground the reader in the story world. Readers want to feel immersed in the fictional universe, experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations the characters do.

So how do you write setting descriptions that people won’t skip?

Read more

Naming Characters

Recently while working on a first draft, I realized that I had named several characters “TK” (To Come) which was getting confusing. So, when I ran into the fabulous Sybil Johnson, the author of Brush Up for Murder at Bouchercon, I asked her to guest write a blog post on the topic. And here is what she said:

Read more