by Foster | Writing Q & A
With one flurry of keyboard strokes in On Writing, Stephen King set down what has become an ironclad rule for a generation of writers: Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings. It’s...
by Foster | Writing Q & A
The use of prologues is one of those discussion points — along with “plot v. pants” and cliffhangers — that can divide a roomful of writers in an instant. Fans of the technique will tell you that a well-written prologue is essential for certain...
by Foster | Writing Q & A
One of the most common frustrations expressed by fans of fiction in TV, movies, and books is the proliferation of the cliffhanger. When a story seems like it’s building to a satisfactory ending and then just STOPS, the reader or viewer is first jolted out of his...
by Foster | Writing Q & A
Some real sticklers for the grammar rulebook — like your high school English teacher, probably — would tell you that it’s never OK to use sentence fragments in your writing. Those people are wrong. Very wrong. (See what I did there?) But wait! First...
by Foster | Writing Q & A
There are no specific educational requirements for becoming a professional writer. The rules of grammar and punctuation that you learned in high school will give you the basic skills you need to start honing your craft. However, particular types of writing jobs at...
