Category Archives: For Writers

As both a scientist and a toolmaker for creative media people, I spend a lot of time thinking about how fiction works, how we writers do what we do, and how I might be able to help myself (and others) get better at it. This is the section of my web site where I post articles about the business, craft, and tools of writing. I don’t promise that what I have to say will work for everybody else—or even anybody else—but it should always be interesting.

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Click to view video Jefferson discusses his theory about the power of well-chosen nouns and their ability to replace heaps of exposition. Paint more evocative worlds using fewer words, and…

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Selling Stories By Telling Stories

Click image to view. Jefferson discusses his method for avoiding the sleazy aftertaste of marketing by telling stories instead of selling stories. Engage readers. Excite fans. Preserve your soul. What’s…

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30 Seconds to More Creative Plots

Click image to view. Jefferson presents a quick writing exercise (actually, it’s a reading exercise) that you can do in 30 seconds to improve the originality and unpredictability of your…

Play Your Way To Better Stories

Click image to view. When writer’s block strikes, the instinct is to hunker down and work the problem, but that’s the path to boring solutions. Find better story ideas, and…

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Click image to view. An introduction to how PageFight! works and how it can improve your book marketing. Includes some real-world examples.