Should I Replace “Said” with Synonyms?

One topic that gets debated quite frequently in writing is the question of whether writers should use the word "said" or choose a synonym for the word. Any piece of writing with character dialogue has to deal with this question, and there's really two camps that stand their ground fervently. On one hand, English teachers tend to absolutely love when synonyms are chosen instead of the word "said" repeated ad nauseum. On the other hand, most successful literary authors, tend to use "said" more than any other word when describing a character talking. But there are notable exceptions. Which is right?

How to Write an Essay the Easy Way

So you have another paper to write for your class, and you're dreading it. No problem. I'm going to teach you how to write the perfect essay, and how you can make writing any essay extremely easy to do. It turns out it's not as hard as you might think it is to make a compelling essay, and this method can be utilized in most classes you take in college or high school for nearly guaranteed success.

How to Write a Great Tragic Hero

Not every good guy gets a happy ending. Sometimes the best outcome some characters can hope to gain is bitter-sweet. In a lot of cases, the tragic hero seems pre-destined from the beginning to meet a tragic end. While certainly not as common, and potentially a lot riskier to try to pull off in writing, a tragic hero well-written can still be memorable and certainly more interesting than a lot of other character types. So, what makes a tragic hero, and how can we pull off making one that will leave our audiences remembering these characters fondly long after they're gone?

What are Tropes?

You have likely heard the term trope used today in reference to common themes in popular media, especially movies and television, especially ones that are overused in each genre. In fact, there's a very popular website that's been around for a long time dedicated to finding and calling out these things, called TV Tropes, which I encourage everyone to get lost exploring whenever you can. Today's use of the word has taken on a negative connotation, but the true definition of the word trope doesn't have to always mean "lazy, over-used piece of writing."

What is a MacGuffin?

One of the most commonly used plot devices out there is the MacGuffin. Popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, the term typically describes an object that is important to the characters in some way and helps move the plot forward. In Hitchcock's original description of the term, he also mentions that the MacGuffin doesn't actually have to be important aside from to the characters at that specific point of the story. Once it has served its purpose, it often becomes far less useful to the characters.