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…