“Show, don’t tell” isn’t just a writing cliché—it’s the heartbeat of immersive storytelling. In this piece, Clay Stafford explores how sensory details, specificity, and subtext transform simple narration into a living experience. Learn how to make readers feel your story, not just read it.
A synopsis isn’t just a summary—it’s proof that you understand story. Learn how to craft clear, compelling synopses that demonstrate mastery of structure, pacing, and emotional arc. From query letters to full submissions, this guide walks you through the process of distilling your story to its most powerful essence.
In this essay, I want us to reconnect with our core intents. Every writer hits that moment: the plot stalls, the characters go quiet, the pages stop piling up. And, if you’re honest, pantser or plotter, it’s not just the book that is stuck. You’re stuck! How could...
If your story feels like it is stalling right from the first page, your problem might not be your plot. Before you rush off to rewrite the progression of the first chapter or maybe insert one of those unnecessary prologues, take a moment and look at your protagonist’s entrance. Readers decide whether to care (or […]
If your scene feels slow, no matter how perfectly written, it may be missing urgency. Add a meaningful deadline and let it reshape your character’s actions, raise the stakes, and create real-time evolution that your reader can feel.
Have you ever written a scene that looked good on paper, but there was just something about it that didn’t have…something? Maybe it felt hollow. Perhaps the characters said all the right things, yet…Maybe the setting was vivid, and you described it perfectly,...
I’ve been a professional actor, and I’ve written for actors, and I can tell you that when actors read a script, they’re not looking for beautiful words; they’re searching the script for a purpose, a purpose aligned explicitly with the role they are interested in...
Writing Tip of the Day: Introduction to Layered Writing — What Is It and Why Should You Care? Layered writing sounds pretty much like it is. It involves weaving multiple narrative elements into the same passage or scene, such as plot, character, theme, emotion, and...
I’m interviewing writer Thomas Perry in a few days, and I thought it might be fun to return to his first book, The Butcher’s Boy, his first novel and the winner of the Edgar Award that year. It’s easy to see why it separated itself from the competition. It exemplifies...
Why A Trip to the Moon Still Matters for Writers In graduate film school, I first watched Georges Méliès’s short 1902 French film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune). At the time, I didn’t really appreciate all it had to offer. It’s a classic, for sure, often...