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What Killed it For Me #6: Action Too Early

April 17, 2014

What Killed it For Me #6: Action Too Early

April 17, 2014

We’ve likely all encountered stories that open with an explosion, plague, car chase, alien abduction, fist fight, or other volatile scene involving a main character that we know virtually nothing…

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Survival Skills

April 12, 2014

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Survival Skills

April 12, 2014

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

Hurting Animals (In Fiction!)

April 10, 2014

Hurting Animals (In Fiction!)

April 10, 2014

What if your story calls for an animal being hurt at some point…how can you handle it without backlash? Marian Perera weighs in. Warning: If you hurt a cute animal…

What Killed it For Me #5: Weak Writing

April 8, 2014

What Killed it For Me #5: Weak Writing

April 8, 2014

Today I want to talk about one of the most common reasons I stop reading: weak writing. I’ve been putting this one off because 1) it’s highly subjective, and 2)…

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Mechanically Inclined

April 5, 2014

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Mechanically Inclined

April 5, 2014

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

It’s hard to come up with characters who are believable yet don’t sound like every other character out there. It’s especially easy to fall into this trap with certain archetypes,…

Talents and Skills Thesaurus: Archery

March 29, 2014

Talents and Skills Thesaurus: Archery

March 29, 2014

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

Talents and Skills Entry: Being a Good Listener

March 22, 2014

Talents and Skills Entry: Being a Good Listener

March 22, 2014

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

Talent & Skills Entry: Making People Laugh

March 15, 2014

Talent & Skills Entry: Making People Laugh

March 15, 2014

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

The “Write From The Middle” Method

March 12, 2014

The “Write From The Middle” Method

March 12, 2014

I’ve been studying plot and structure for over twenty-five years. Plot was something I did not understand when I started out. I thought writers just sat down at the typewriter…