The Jessica Dall Blog

Characterization:
- Character Questionnaire (1/28/12): Some questions to ask when fleshing out a new (or flat) character.
- I am woman, hear me roar (4/27/12): Why it’s fine to have weak female characters…as long as you write them correctly.
- Mary Sues (2/10/12): What they are, and why to watch out for them.
- What’s in a Name? (1/30/12): Why changing the name of a character can change the character entirely.

Dialogue:
- He said, She said (3/2/12): Why you shouldn’t worry too much about over using “said” in dialogue.
- Floating Dialogue (5/1/12): Tips on how to write tagless dialogue without confusing your readers.
- Too Much Dialogue (1/24/12): When to use dialogue and when to use narrative (and why not to stress too much about either.
- You Don’t Say… (4/17/12): Some tips on writing more natural sounding dialogue.

General Writing Tips:
- All of a sudden, he was suddenly there (4/3/12): Why the word “suddenly” can make things seem less sudden.
- Beginning Writer Problems (1/22/12): Common problems seen in the work of many new authors to watch out for.
- Head Jumping (2/20/12): Ways to keep the right point of view character while writing in third person limited
- “Hey look! I’m a writer!” Syndrome (2/13/12): Why poetic prose doesn’t often make you look like a great writer
- Info Dumps (3/21/12): Some tips on “how to turn info-dumping into story-telling”
- Inner Filters (2/3/12): How to write something when you’re uncomfortable with the topic.
- “Intensive Purposes” (3/19/12): Commonly misheard (and mistyped) idioms in writing.
-  Less is More (7/17/12): When showing goes too far.
- That’s Just…Wrong (1/16/12): Some ”facts” that many writers get wrong.
- The Unneeded Words (3/16/12): How to tighten up your writing (and cut down a too-long manuscript) by finding unneeded wordiness.
- War on Was (2/16/12): Showing is better than telling, but why you shouldn’t always be on a “to be verb” witch hunt.
- Wy I Hayt Fonetik Axsents (3/13/12): Reasons you might want to stay away from phonetically spelling out accents.
- Write What You Know (1/15/12): Why the old saying “write what you know” is good and bad advice.
- $*&# @#*% (2/24/12): Reasons why you should (and shouldn’t) swear in your writing.

Getting Started:
- How to Write When You Just Don’t Feel Like Writing (3/12/12): Tips on getting out of those pesky “I don’t wanna write” moods.
- Finding Time to Write (6/25/12): How to fit writing into an already hectic schedule
- The Name Game (1/20/12): Some helpful naming sites when trying to name characters or places in a new story.
- Writing Prompts (2/5/12): Some different ways to jumpstart your writing when trying to think of a plot.
- You Can’t Write That! (8/21/12): Why no topics have to be off limits when writing.

Plot Holes:
- A Wizard Did It (2/1/12): Plot holes and avoiding Deus Ex Machinas.
- The Ever-Dreaded Plotholes (1/31/12): What to do when you find a plot hole in your story.
- Plot Holes (Part II) (4/11/12): Examples of plot holes still around in some well-known fictional works.
- Plot Holes (Part III) (4/12/12): Looking into just how you can tell if you have a plot hole in your manuscript.

Publishing and Marketing:
- “Accidental Plagiarism” (1/13/12): Why you can’t “accidentally plagiarise” someone (and why your premise isn’t as original as you thought).
- Contracts (3/25/12): Things you should look out for in contracts if you’re your own agent…and some publishers you might want to avoid.
- “Craigslist Agents” (4/23/12): Why advertising for a good agent/publisher doesn’t work (and some tips to keep in mind when starting to look for one).
- How to Get Published (1/23/12): Some tips on publishing (but sadly no magic tricks…)
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fanfic (2/9/12): Why “name-changed fanfiction” can annoy acquisition editors.
- Novel Blogs (4/5/12): Is it a good idea to blog your novel as you write it? Depends on your motivations, but it can hurt your chances at traditional publishing.
- Prior Works (7/26/12): What to do (and not do) about prior credits when submitting your first novel.
- Self, Vanity, Traditional Publishing (1/19/12): The different types of publishing out there.
- Submissions 101 (6/5/12): Everything you ever wanted to know about the submissions process
- Word Limits (3/14/12): Why many publishers have word limits as to what they accept.

Story Structure:
- [X] Types of Plot (2/7/12): Why so many books seem similar, theories on there only being so many different plots.

Workshopping Tips:
- But They Did It… (3/9/12): Why best sellers aren’t always the best role models.
- Crises of Confidence (5/22/12): How to work through it when you start to doubt yourself as a  writer.
- How -Not- to Take a Review (3/4/12): Some things that won’t endear you to book reviewers.
- “Real” Writers (2/6/12): What makes someone a “real” writer, and why you shouldn’t care.
- Taking a Critique (2/29/12): Ways to get the most out of a critique of your work.
- The Unanswerable Questions (1/27/12): Why outside help can’t always help you with a character you’re having problems with.