Words of Wisdom from Comic-Con@Home
Kellie Doherty
In a move that probably shocks no one, I went to yet another virtual convention—this time Comic-Con@Home back in July. But this time instead of waxing poetic about how awesome…
writing advice
On Writing Fanfiction
Fanfiction is amazing. Hard stop. For those readers who don’t know what fanfiction is, basically it’s where fans of an intellectual property use that property as a basis for their…
On Character Agency
Aaron Miles
What will a character do next? What can they do next? These are the questions that drive the narrative of a story forward and determine what direction it will follow.…
NaNoWriMo 2019: My Personal Experience – Part Two: I WON!
S. H. Paulus
This is part two of my experience participating in NaNoWriMo 2019, a writing exercise where one attempts to write a novel (50,000 words) in a month’s time. If you haven’t…
NaNoWriMo 2019: My Personal Experience – Part One
As I am writing this, I am feeling completely burned out. My hair is a mess (is that another silver strand sprouting up?!), my eyes are puffy and twitchy, dark…
On the Importance of Critique Groups
Writing can be—and often is—a solitary journey. The stereotypical and sometimes romantic notion of a writer alone in a room penning the next great novel does stem from truth. Most…
Writing Fantasy Saved My Mental State
Fantasy is sometimes referred to as “escapism” and it comes in many forms—whether that be reading a novel, getting immersed in a movie, or even playing a video game. That…
As I Learn: How Your Story-Beast Moves
Gibril Kerefah
In the wild, lions live and hunt in prides. An adult male can weigh as much as 200 kg (mostly muscle), and an adult female can reach top speeds of…
Worldbuilding Through Characterization
When somebody mentions worldbuilding the first thing you’ll think of is probably a lavishly detailed map, something filled with interesting geography, the locations of important cities, and maybe a dragon…
What If… – Guest Blog by Tom Lloyd
Tom Lloyd
Writing—It’s all basically the same whatever genre, right? No, of course I don’t believe that! If I did, I’d be trying to make my fortune in romance or something. There…
On Planning My First Solo Author Event
Planning a book related event is stressful on all accounts, no matter if it’s a simple reading or a large writing conference. Regardless of size, the same questions remain: Will…
As I Learn: Or Why I Stopped Calling Myself A Pantser
Do you already know what type of writer you are? You may call yourself a discovery writer, an outliner or a mixture of both. We traditionally think of discovery writers,…