Category: Prose & Editing

Scribes & Archers > Prose & Editing
3 Literary Qualities (Largely) Lost to Time

3 Literary Qualities (Largely) Lost to Time

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Classic literature did it better.

Okay, not always, but there is a lot to be said for classic literature that can’t (often) be said for modern literature, and I think that modern authors–even modern Christian authors–have lost sight of a lot of the values that can be found in classic literature and the lives of classic authors. Today I want to look at some of the qualities of classic writing that I see more rarely in modern writing, and encourage us to consider whether Continue reading “3 Literary Qualities (Largely) Lost to Time” →

Intrigue & Mystery with Selective Prose

Intrigue & Mystery with Selective Prose

Posted on by R.M. Archer

This post is based on a question I got quite a while back and answered for a newsletter subscriber. Bethani asked, “How do you write stories that are intriguing without using too many words?”

I’d been intending to expand this into a blog post for at least several months, and finally got to it in my big batching project before my wedding so I can finally share Continue reading “Intrigue & Mystery with Selective Prose” →

5 Dialogue-Strengthening Exercises

5 Dialogue-Strengthening Exercises

Posted on by R.M. Archer

You’ve read all the dialogue tips, you understand the concepts that make for strong dialogue, but your characters’ conversations are still coming across flat on the page. It could be that you don’t fully understand your character’s voice, or it could mean you just need more practice! These exercises are intended to help you focus that practice and experiment with Continue reading “5 Dialogue-Strengthening Exercises” →

Crafting Effective Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines

Crafting Effective Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines

Posted on by R.M. Archer

When I wrote my series on crafting emotional resonance, I promised a future post on crafting effective dialogue. This is another element of your writing that will elevate your scenes and emphasize the emotions your characters are feeling. So let’s get into it.

Character

The most crucial piece of believable dialogue is to ensure that your characters talk like themselves. This comes down to Continue reading “Crafting Effective Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines” →

Crafting Emotional Resonance – Example Critique

Posted on by R.M. Archer

In my series on crafting your stories to resonate with your readers’ emotions, I asked for excerpt submissions that I could take and apply those concepts to in order to provide an example of what I’ve been talking about. So today I’ll be showing you a piece of Grace A. Johnson‘s writing which she submitted, along with my commentary!

In case you missed it:

Crafting Emotional Resonance: Part 1 – Character-Driven Description

Crafting Emotional Resonance: Part 2 – Character Reactions

Crafting Emotional Resonance: Part 3 – Repressed Emotion

Crafting Emotional Resonance: Part 4 – Precise Prose

Critique Structure

I’ve never done a critique for a blog post before, so you’ll have to bear with me as I develop a layout for it.

First, I want to lay out Continue reading “Crafting Emotional Resonance – Example Critique” →