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Tag: characters

3 Simple Ways To Make Readers Care About Your Characters

On October 7, 2022 By K.M. Allan26 Comments

If I asked you why your favorite book is your favorite book, chances are high the reason will be because of the characters. Yes, a great plot and lyrical prose make for a compelling read, but it’s the characters we like to follow from page to page and revisit if they leave the right impression. …

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How To Give Your Characters Conflict

On September 9, 2022September 21, 2022 By K.M. Allan25 Comments

When it comes to penning a story, there are a few essential ingredients to add to the mix, and one of them is conflict. Why? Because humans love drama. That’s the reason reality TV shows are still around and why readers enjoy stories that use conflict to hold their interest. Does that mean your book …

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4 Reasons To Use Internal Thoughts In Your Writing

On May 27, 2022 By K.M. Allan32 Comments

While there are just as many writing tricks as there are ways to tell a story, there are some specific ones that can help make your book something special, and one of those is internal thoughts. If you’ve never heard of the concept, it’s where you let the reader inside a character’s head by writing …

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Editing Tips: What To Check When It Feels Like Something Is Missing

On November 5, 2021 By K.M. Allan20 Comments

Well, you did it. You took that spark of an idea, fleshed it out into an entire book, edited the last page for the last time, and finished one final read-through. The book is done. At least it should be. As proud as you were, there was a little voice in your head as you …

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5 Ways To Describe A Character Without Using The Clichéd Mirror Look

On April 9, 2021 By K.M. Allan28 Comments

Just as book trends see certain genres fall in and out of favor, there are certain elements of books that once worked but now no longer do. One such example is the clichéd mirror look, aka when the author has the MC look in a mirror and describe themselves so the reader knows how they …

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Point Of View Errors! How To Spot And Fix Them

On December 11, 2020 By K.M. Allan16 Comments

Ah, point of view (POV), a writing essential to include in your book but something that you can get so easily wrong. It doesn't take much to slip from the view of the character who is telling your story, and you might not even notice you've done it. That's where the following advice comes in …

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7 Tips For Creating Awesome Characters

On November 27, 2020 By K.M. Allan23 Comments

While a great storyline and an intense setting can make for an excellent read, what really creates a great book is awesome characters. After all, how many pages have you kept turning just to see what happens to the MC? Getting your reader to care about your characters is a task every writer should aim …

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Book Scenes: Four Key Things To Establish

On September 18, 2020 By K.M. Allan11 Comments

Unless you're a super-organized planner who stuck to your writing outline religiously, there will come a point during editing when you'll re-read a scene and have to make sure it includes everything you wanted. This is my dilemma as I work on my current work in progress. I wrote the draft back in 2017, so …

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Unintentional Story Issues, And How To Fix Them

On June 12, 2020November 19, 2021 By K.M. Allan32 Comments

When you're the writer of a manuscript, everything about the story makes sense to you. And why wouldn't it? You're the one who has spent hours writing your way through countless drafts. The trouble with being the person who's worked on the story so intensely means it can be hard for you to notice when …

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K.M. Allan

K.M. Allan

YA writer and blogger. Author of The Blackbirch Series, The Beginning, The Dark Half, and The Ritual (books 1, 2 & 3) are out now! I'm also an identical twin, but not the evil one.

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