Pants or No Pants: Outlining and Writing

Pants or No Pants: Outlining and Writing

04/20/2022Posted inWriting
If you are familiar with the jargon of the writing world, you already know what this post is about. If you are not familiar with said jargon, you are probably questioning my sanity. A valid response. Essentially, there are two extremes to the types of writers out there: Outliners: also known as architects, these are those structured and organized-thinking individuals who outline their whole story before starting any writing. These people know everything that is going to happen in the…
6 Ways to make characters more interesting

6 Ways to make characters more interesting

12/07/2020Posted inWriting
Characters are the most important part of a story. You can have a great plot with great world building, but if your characters are flat, unlikeable, and un-dynamic, your story will not be meaningful or enjoyable. In fact, a story with truly amazing characters could have the same tired plot as hundreds of other books set in a barely conceived world, and it could still be an incredible story. It's easy to talk about unique plots, fascinating settings, and the…
6 Ways to keep the middle of your book interesting

6 Ways to keep the middle of your book interesting

11/09/2020Posted inWriting
The middle. It gets such a bad rap, sandwiched there between the beginning and the end. The middle chapters of a book, the middle installment of a trilogy, middle school… the middle is just hard, and sometimes it deserves its reputation for a sub-par experience. The beginning of a story introduces characters, builds a world, and sets up the plot. The author takes their toy blocks and starts to build things while having all the fun that goes with novelty…
6 Things you should do before starting your first novel

6 Things you should do before starting your first novel

10/12/2020Posted inWriting
Starting your first novel is a huge undertaking, and can be discouraging from many points of view. First of all is the incredible concept of writing three hundred or more pages – not a typical school essay, that. Then there are all of those naysayers out there saying how difficult it is to get a first novel published, and how all writers know the first novel is simply a test and meant to be thrown out. Do not be discouraged! While your…
7 Tips for Making Fantasy Maps

7 Tips for Making Fantasy Maps

09/14/2020Posted inWriting
I love maps. They are one of my favorite details of fantasy fiction, and typically one of the first things you see when flipping through the front pages of any proper fantasy novel. Getting immersed in another world is why so many people read fantasy, and maps give a visual manifestation of that world, orienting the reader to the scope of the world, the location of the characters and events, and the geographical influences that may affect the cultures and…
4 Things that make writing time more productive

4 Things that make writing time more productive

08/17/2020Posted inWriting
Just about any writing advice you ever see will include the call to set aside dedicated and non-negotiable writing time every day, or at least most days a week. ‘Great!’ you think, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. ‘I moved my schedule to include one hour before work every day.’ Then the appointed hour comes. You sit down at your laptop, and you see the blank page. Then the panic begins. ‘I have to sit here a whole hour? I only have an hour!?’ Setting aside time…
6 Reasons to write (and read) fantasy

6 Reasons to write (and read) fantasy

08/03/2020Posted inWriting2 Comments
Fantasy – the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable. This is the dictionary definition of a word that encompasses one of the greatest of book genres. But why is it so great? Why should we read fantasy, let alone set out to write more of it? “It’s not real,” “it’s escapist,” “it pulls you away from the important things in life,” “it’s for kids,” “it’s nerdy” – well, I won’t argue with the…