November 18, 2023
Your characters are worldbuilding tools, but they are also much more. Use them correctly, interact with them as if they were real, and you’ll see them come to life. They’ll become the guides to your storyline and world.
October 26, 2023
Your map represents the world your characters live in. It might be as small as a doll’s house or as large as a multi-galaxy supercluster, and that’s fine…provided you can keep it all straight.
October 5, 2023
Maps don’t have to be hard. They certainly don’t have to be impossible. They just need a little creativity of a different sort.
July 16, 2023
The story is only a part of the story. It only thrives if the world built under it can stand in the face of your readers’ scrutiny.
July 11, 2023
One of the standards I have run across many times myself as a writer and journalist has been that of punishing writers for speaking their minds and expressing their voices. I can think of many times a professor, a fellow journalist, or writer’s club member has mentioned being suppressed at the hands of their editor(s). The editor holds all the power.
December 8, 2021
Writing a character biography can be one of the most helpful things to do when writing a book. In fact, those character bios about your primary and secondary characters may very well be the best tool for creating the perfect twists and turns for your plot to keep your readers engag
November 30, 2021
You've done it. You've pushed and pushed, writing thousands of words each week, making it to this day - November 30, 2021. You've written like mad, and today, as you enter that last update, you'll taste that sweet victory of winning NaNoWriMo.
November 29, 2021
Whether you're into city living, country living, or that in-between suburbanite, landscape is a huge part of writing. Not only is it critical for helping our readers establish physical aspects of our writing universes, but the landscape can be an inspiration for storytelling.
November 28, 2021
Last year, I won NaNoWriMo in just a few short days. I met my goal of 50,000 words in less than a week. This year, although I've already won by the time this piece has been published, I've had several days in which I did not meet my writing goals. It's frustrating to miss goals, especially on some special days (like my birthday), but what can you do?
November 27, 2021
If you can write with music playing and you happen to be struggling in these final days of NaNoWriMo, using your writing playlist as a writing prompt could help. Earlier this month, I needed help mustering content while ill. So, I put my playlist on random and let the music move me.
November 26, 2021
A popular misconception exists that “The Next Great American Novel” can lift any feeble, impoverished writer from the mire to Hollywood or at least the White House. But alas, the creation of something incredible does not alone crown peasants kings.
November 25, 2021
It’s time for a little motivation from the Masters.