By Becca Puglisi As human beings, our work is very important. Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life, and we often put a ton of time and energy into it. But what about our characters’ jobs? How much thought do we put into that? We authors recognize the … [Read more...] about Choosing the Right Job for Your Character
Search Results for: what killed it for me
Is My Story A Mystery, Horror or Thriller?
By Lucy V Hay Lots of writers enjoy mystery, horror and thriller novels … but are not too sure what differentiates them. As a result, when they attempt their own, they might get stuck. As a script editor in the UK who’s worked on predominantly horror and thriller, plus as an author myself who … [Read more...] about Is My Story A Mystery, Horror or Thriller?
Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting
By Liz Keller Whitehurst For centuries, people have been spellbound by magic and the supernatural. Ghosts, curses, talking creatures, portals to alternate dimensions…there's just too much creative fodder for authors not to plumb those depths. Over time, mainstream fantasy has given way to many … [Read more...] about Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting
Writers, Grab a Knife: How To Kill Your Darlings
Good writing involves rewriting. An essential part of rewriting is combing through the first draft and carving out material that isn’t essential. When we edit out nonessentials, we are killing our darlings. What is a Darling? Darlings are words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and even whole … [Read more...] about Writers, Grab a Knife: How To Kill Your Darlings
How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices
Quick, what’s one thing you need in every scene? This question can have a lot of answers – tension, conflict, stakes, emotion, action…on and on it goes. But I would argue one of the most important is one of the most basic: choice. Characters with agency are always doing, acting, and pushing … [Read more...] about How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Master and Apprentice
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Master and Apprentice
Changing Your Reader’s Perspective
As writers, we all know how difficult it can be to win readers over. The writing has to be strong, the events realistic, the characters well-rounded, etc. etc. We know the list of barriers to reader engagement, and there are ample resources to address the usual suspects. But what if that … [Read more...] about Changing Your Reader’s Perspective
Want a Stronger Manuscript? Read It Aloud
Editing freaks a lot of people out. Drafting is creative and inspirational, and every writer LIVES for that moment when you get into the groove and the words just flow. But editing is kind of the opposite. It’s analytical, with a rigid set of rules that have to be followed. I think this is why so … [Read more...] about Want a Stronger Manuscript? Read It Aloud
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Guard and Prisoner
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it's important to craft them carefully. But characters don't usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they'll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Guard and Prisoner
Story Resolutions: Mastering the Happy-Sad Ending
Very often, it's the ending of a story that sticks with us—because it's our last memory of it, our most recent emotional connection. So nailing the ending is important. This is why I was so excited when Gilbert Bassey reached out with a post idea about a satisfying story resolution that isn't … [Read more...] about Story Resolutions: Mastering the Happy-Sad Ending
5 Tips for Writing Stellar Romantic Subplots
Does your story contain a romantic subplot? They can be tricky to write well while not allowing them to take over the main plot line. Savannah Cordova is back with some tips on how to whip them into shape. As a reader and writer, one of my favorite story elements is the romantic subplot: a … [Read more...] about 5 Tips for Writing Stellar Romantic Subplots
Your Character’s Job May Be More Important than You Think!
Confession time: when I was a newer writer, I didn’t think much about my character's occupation. In fact, if they needed one, I’d pretty much assign the first thing that came to mind. I didn't think hard about their career because I didn't think it mattered. And I was WRONG. Far … [Read more...] about Your Character’s Job May Be More Important than You Think!