We all have places we know and love. They aren’t rooms with amazing views, patios with comfortable couches, or castles in the middle of a forest. They’re rooms with happy memories, patios where we fell in love, castles where a hero grew up. Cool views, couches, and surroundings make a setting fun to describe, but what makes a setting really great is nostalgia – a … Continue reading What Most Settings Lack
Welcome to the first post of a five part series on simple (but maybe not so obvious) tips to make our stories better. They’ll be applicable to most of us no matter what we’re writing, though some people will find that certain posts are more relevant than others. I also promise that the subjects won’t be ‘building tension,’ ‘realistic dialogue,’ or ‘how to write the best book ever!’ … Continue reading Why Your Character Is Boring
We all have our favorite time to write, our routines and habits, and our difficulties with finding a quiet place to work. And we all talk about these things pretty often – it was just a little while ago that I wrote a post about the ideal writing spot. But there’s something more important than an ideal writing spot, and that’s an ideal writing time. … Continue reading The Best Time to Write
Do I know how to grab your attention or what? Anyway, for a quick-post-Friday I wanted to share an article I stumbled on while reading the Writers Digest website, called (use your powers of deduction here), ‘The 7 Essential Elements of a Bestselling Novel’. The post was written by Adrienne Crezo, managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine. I think it’s clear to all of us that there … Continue reading The 7 Essential Elements of a Bestselling Novel
Most author advice will tell you that you have to be able to write in any place at any time. It’s true – you won’t get very much done if you refuse to write anywhere other than your favorite spot under ideal conditions. Learning to write in random locations and tune out distractions is a big part of being able to produce good work day after day. TV … Continue reading The Ideal Writing Spot
Writers are an incredibly insecure group of people. It’s true. I’m even insecure about writing about our insecurities – what if people get upset about it? (If you did, sorry). But the fact is that we are very insecure, and an extension of that fact is that it isn’t an insult. In many way it actually makes a lot of sense. Fiction is hard to judge … Continue reading The Simplest Writing Advice
July is an important month for writing. We’re in the middle of the summer, it’s hot outside, the pool and beach are trying to dominate our free time, and there are way too many good movies in theaters right now. Some people find it easier to write when the days are longer and the weather is nice because they’re in a better mood. Some people … Continue reading Why July is Important
