CritiqueMatch

CritiqueMatch is a platform where writers and beta readers connect and exchange work for free! New: You can also buy a critique or beta-reading service from our top-rated users!

Apr 27, 2020

Use of Abbreviations in Writing

April 27, 2020
By Sonia Easley.

Definitions
·      Shortened words are abbreviations. Examples are Nov. for November, Mr. for Mister, and Sr. for Senior. 
·      Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations.
·      Acronyms are abbreviations made from the first letters of a series of words and pronounced as words on their own. Examples are NATO (North American Trade Organization), WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), and ASAP (as soon as possible).
·      Initialisms are abbreviations made from word initials and pronounced as initials. Examples are USA (United States of America), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).

Apr 24, 2020

Writing in a Rural Location

April 24, 2020
By Tia Colborne.

I became a writer because escaping to a cabin in the woods to create sounded like a dream come true. Being alone with my thoughts writing a best-selling book is the perfect way to spend my mid-life.

Apr 22, 2020

Writing a Worthy Villain

April 22, 2020
By Jessica Hogbin.

            The last few years have produced several amazing villains, whether it be in television, literature, or film. Authors find themselves looking at these fantastic antagonists and wanting to write equally interesting characters. To achieve this, writers try to give their villains intricate backstories filled with emotion. However, sometimes this simply isn’t enough. The bad guy can simultaneously have an incredibly detailed past and physical description while still lacking the je ne sais quoi of a worthy adversary. Here are three simple questions that you can ask yourself as you write your villain to bring them to the next level of wickedness.

Apr 20, 2020

How I Use Character Development to Plot

April 20, 2020
By Renay Marsh.

I’m a character-first writer. That means my characters come to me before any other part of the story. Plot? Setting? They come afterward.
Yes, my characters appear to me. Not completely formed. Sometimes, all I get is “Hi. Will you write my story?” Other times the character pulls up a chair, plops down, makes themselves comfortable, before spilling everything. Either way, it is up to me to listen, ask questions, and get to know them.

Apr 17, 2020

Reaping the Benefits of the Writing Life

April 17, 2020
By Isabel Jolie.

In a past life, I was a business executive. One thing I discovered during that experience is that I really, truly, hate accounting. So, let me caveat everything I’m about to say with, I use a CPA. In fact, practicing accounting could be the last source of income on the planet, and I still wouldn’t attempt it. Now, with the I am not an accountant disclaimer in place...

Apr 15, 2020

Reading Your Way to Becoming a Better Writer

April 15, 2020
By Jessica Hogbin.
           
I wrote in the same genre—contemporary romance—for about four years of my life. Everything I read or produced for the pleasure of reading and writing was within one area of the writing world. But after several years of doing the same thing, it became obvious to me that I wasn’t enjoying it anymore, and that I wanted to move on. I had an idea for a book that wasn’t within my usual repertoire: I wanted to write a thriller.

Apr 13, 2020

A new era for the publishing industry: online self-publishing

April 13, 2020
By Irene Perali.

I will never get tired of saying how much technology has improved my life. Without messaging services and social networks, I wouldn't stay in touch with my friends because I feel awkward during phone calls. Without GPS, I wouldn't have seen most of the places I visited during my travels because I was scared of getting lost. Yes, I did avoid exploring remote areas of a city for this reason. 

Apr 10, 2020

How to Write a Satisfying Ending

April 10, 2020
By Jessica Hogbin.

            A satisfying book ending isn’t something that just happens; it’s something you work toward throughout your entire story. Imagine Freytag’s pyramid—your ending is everything that happens after the climax. These are known as the falling action, resolution, and denouement. These three parts are needed for a satisfying ending, especially because without them, your ending can feel rushed, unclear, and frustrating for readers.

Apr 8, 2020

3 Ways to Use Foreshadowing to Strengthen Your Novel

April 08, 2020
By Jolee McManus.

If you’re like me, you’re obsessed with finding ways to make your work-in-progress stronger. But what makes a story strong? If you ask me, the secret isn’t pulling off any one trick but a number of tricks. As we grow as writers, we collect more and more tricks up our sleeves and learn how to seamlessly work them into our writing, sometimes without even trying!

Apr 6, 2020

How Sandra Gerth Helped Me Perfect the Art of Showing Versus Telling

April 06, 2020
By Sierra Archer.

If you have been writing for even a small amount of time I am willing to bet that you have come across the concept of ‘showing versus telling’. It’s undeniably an important thing to consider when writing any kind of story. But why?
Well, let’s take a look at an example.

Apr 3, 2020

How "Save the Cat Writes a Novel" Helped Improve My Stories' Structure

April 03, 2020
By Kia Dennis.


In the eternal struggle of plotting versus pantsing, I find myself coming down squarely on the side of plotting. I need to outline–extensively! I crave structure. I’d heard the terms ‘inciting incident’ and ‘story beats,’ but for a long time, I didn’t have a handle on exactly what they were. Then, a writer friend of mine suggested I read Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I started skimming it in the bookstore and immediately realized why my friend swore by it.

Apr 1, 2020

Writing a Worthy Villain

April 01, 2020
By Negus Lamont.

Writing a worthy villain is crucial to any successful project. Fans flock to see Iron Man but stay to see him fight Thanos. Most people love themselves some Luke Skywalker, but they love to hate themselves some Darth Vader. And then we have King Joffrey, a character so polarizing that his death was celebrated by millions. This blog post will give you the key ingredients to writing a worthy villain, so you can create your own dastardly devil.
Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )