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How to Write Unforgettable Settings: Adding Powerful Layers

January 11, 2011

How to Write Unforgettable Settings: Adding Powerful Layers

January 11, 2011

You’ve picked the perfect setting, you can describe it so compellingly your readers will want to move there…but have you added powerful layers to make it really stand out? Don’t…

How to Create Unforgettable Settings: Description

January 8, 2011

How to Create Unforgettable Settings: Description

January 8, 2011

Some of this has been covered in previous posts (see the end of this article for links to other parts of this series on setting) , but I just couldn’t…

How to Write Unforgettable Settings: the Right Location

January 4, 2011

How to Write Unforgettable Settings: the Right Location

January 4, 2011

As writers, we often underestimate the power of setting. Who didn’t want to visit the Hundred-Acre Wood? How much of our Bilbo-love is wrapped up in Hobbiton, my precious? And…

The Writer’s Bane: Describing a Character’s Physical Appearance

April 26, 2010

The Writer’s Bane: Describing a Character’s Physical Appearance

April 26, 2010

I’m going to be totally honest here. There is little I detest more than trying to describe how my character looks. The reasons are numerous. I think it sounds boring.…

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

We thought since we’ve profiled 130 different emotions and their physical and mental cues in The Emotion Thesaurus, we’d take a look at some of the Cardinal Emotions, and some…

Introducing Sensory Saturday…Meet the Setting Thesaurus!

August 16, 2008

Introducing Sensory Saturday…Meet the Setting Thesaurus!

August 16, 2008

Many elements go into creating a successful novel, but one of the most important is Setting. For a reader to relate to the current action, they need a physical anchor…

Holy Batman…10,000 hits!!

July 10, 2008

Holy Batman…10,000 hits!!

July 10, 2008

I can’t believe how quickly we reached this fantastic landmark. When Becca and I started the Bookshelf Muse back in January, we were hoping to reach out to other writers,…

Introducing The EMOTION THESAURUS

January 24, 2008

Introducing The EMOTION THESAURUS

January 24, 2008

The coffee on the desk is cold. The doorbell’s ringing. Your dog is making those frantic whimpers meaning ‘I want to go outside and maybe pee on something’ has escalated…

Welcome to our Blog!

January 18, 2008

Welcome to our Blog!

January 18, 2008

Welcome to our blog! As avid writers who WILL one day be published, we are excited to begin this new and (frankly) terrifying adventure of blogging. We each write for…