When the hell was I going to need to diagram a sentence in real life?
Apparently, some 25+ years later…
One of my critique partners happens to also be a line editor extraordinaire. She’s opened my eyes to relearning lessons I forgot. Now, I’m geeking out with nearly every submission coming back with at least a dozen errors. This time though, I’m paying attention and taking notes.
Read MoreOne of my writing buddies turned me on to Anton Chekhov while critiquing one of my projects. “Man, I was starting to sweat this character - if you didn’t use him soon I was gonna remind you about Chekhov’s Gun!”
When I first read about Chekhov’s Gun and learned how to apply it to my writing, I was relieved to find a formula that I could refer back to time and again. It’s become my go-to while critiquing others (I find more rule-breakers of this law than any other). Perhaps you’re as excited as I was (nerding out with all the new writing resources of information are but a google away). Congratulations! Now you’ve got your license in executing Chekhov’s theory.
So fire away - only figuratively speaking though. I’m a writer, not a militia starter!
Read More
