Savannah Cordova

Contributor

Savannah Cordova specializes in content about fiction writing and the editorial process. Her work has appeared in Slate, Kirkus, BookTrib, DIY MFA, and various other outlets focused on writing and publishing. She particularly enjoys analyzing wider publishing trends and trying to predict what will happen next in the industry.

Savannah's short fiction has also been published in the Owl Canyon Press anthology No Bars and a Dead Battery. Her non-publishing interests include cooking, watching rom-coms, and visiting various art museums around London, where she is currently based.

Recent posts

How to plot a novel: 7 tips for success

Learning how to plot a novel means first understanding the elements of great plots. Here are 7 tips for plotting a story that will engage readers from the first chapter: First: What do we mean when we talk about 'plot'? Let's look at plot vs. story. The British author E.M. Forster des...

February 18th, 2019

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Showing vs telling: 'Show don't tell' in narration

Show don't tell is one of the most abused pieces of writing advice. Although both showing and telling in narration are important, knowing when to use which (and what makes explicit telling less effective in some cases) helps. Here are tips for balancing general and specific detail in you...

January 17th, 2019

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Writing scene breaks and transitions that develop your story

Scene breaks and transitions allow us to experience different narrative time-frames and situations involving different characters in short succession. Writing good scene breaks and transitions will keep your story moving, even as you switch between settings (places and times) and viewpoints. Her...

December 20th, 2018

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How to plan a story in scenes: 5 steps

In novels, screenwriting, and play-writing a scene is a useful structuring device for deciding what happens, where, to whom, and why. There are many ways to outline a story, but planning scene by scene is a useful way to make sure every scene has purpose, intrigue, and the other ingredients of a...

December 10th, 2018

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World building: Writing the natural environment

In epic fantasy world building, natural environments provide possible hazards (freezing cold, dangerous volcanoes) and mood or atmosphere. Even in 'realist' fiction set in our own world, environment (such as the details that make a coastal city familiar, for example), is a key part of setting. R...

December 6th, 2018

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Scene writing tips: 5 ways to avoid filler

Great scene writing makes each part count towards the whole. This is particularly important when working in shorter forms such as short stories or one-hour TV episodes. Keep your scenes lean using these 5 scene writing tips: 1. Remove scene scaffolding Critics often marvel at the spare or ...

December 3rd, 2018

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