Are you afraid of using the weather in your writing? If so, you're not alone. After all, if not careful, weather description can be a minefield of clichés. The sunny, cloudless afternoon at the beach. The gloomy rainstorm at a funeral. Overdone setting and weather pairings can lie flat on the … [Read more...] about How to Use Weather to Create Mood, Not Clichés
Search Results for: symbolism
Kickstart Your Next Novel: Save 25% on One Stop for Writers
Looking ahead to November with plans to write a 50,000-word novel? You're up for the challenge, and we want to help. We've cooked up a sweet 25% discount on all plans at One Stop for Writers so you can put our arsenal of writing tools to work, helping you plan your characters, plot, story world, … [Read more...] about Kickstart Your Next Novel: Save 25% on One Stop for Writers
How to Pair Your Book’s Beginning and Ending to Satisfy Readers
Okay, fair warning—what you’re about to learn in this article might spoil movies, TV shows, and books for you forever. BUT—as a writer, you have to peel back the mechanics of story to understand how to make your book awesome, so even if you hate spoilers you’re going to love having the inside track … [Read more...] about How to Pair Your Book’s Beginning and Ending to Satisfy Readers
How to Find Symbols in Your Settings
We all want our writing to be layered. Like a gourmet meal, we want there to be more to them than just what’s seen on the surface. In stories, this depth can be added a number of ways—through subplots, character arc, subtext, theme, and symbolism. Of them all, I think symbolism is one of the … [Read more...] about How to Find Symbols in Your Settings
Writing Tips from a Neurodivergent Brain
Last fall, when I wrote about writing a novel “scene by scene" as someone neurodivergent, I received a ton of interesting feedback. Most of it was a variation on these three questions: I’ll give you my answer in a nutshell. I don’t write out of order to be different or creative. I write out … [Read more...] about Writing Tips from a Neurodivergent Brain
Be Our Valentine: Save 25% at One Stop for Writers®
With Valentine's Day around the corner, Becca and I want to ensure you have a bigger budget for any I-Love-You gifts, so for the next two weeks, you can snag a One Stop for Writers subscription at 25% off with the code VALENTINE25. We love helping writers bring their strongest, most immersive … [Read more...] about Be Our Valentine: Save 25% at One Stop for Writers®
How to Leverage Humanity to Outshine AI-Generated Books
AI is reshaping the book industry, and writers are polarized; some have integrated AI into their writing process while others refuse to. No matter which camp you align with I'm sure you share a growing concern: creatives are not the only ones publishing books. Thanks to AI tools, anyone with a … [Read more...] about How to Leverage Humanity to Outshine AI-Generated Books
How to Deepen a Story with Thematic Echoes
While shallow stories can be enjoyable, we often strive to add depth to our storytelling. Deeper stories can “say” more to readers, evoking more emotions and leaving a bigger impression. We have many options for how we can deepen our stories, from creating layered characters or heartrending … [Read more...] about How to Deepen a Story with Thematic Echoes
Happy Holidays – Some Gifts for You
Angela, Becca and I hope you’re having an amazing holiday season full of family, friends, good food and special memories. We are so grateful for your visits, kind words of support, and trust in us. We love serving the writing community through this blog, One Stop for Writers, books, and … [Read more...] about Happy Holidays – Some Gifts for You
7 Tips for Finding Perfect Character Names
How much time do we spend thinking up character names? Too much. That name will represent the character we love, so the pressure’s on to get it right. And no one wants to get halfway through a manuscript and realize they have to make a change. Find and replace on that scale, with something … [Read more...] about 7 Tips for Finding Perfect Character Names
Use Your Story’s Takeaway (Theme) to Trim Extraneous Content
Writing an entire book is an immensely complex undertaking. Even if you’ve outlined meticulously, you'll need more ideas than you can possibly imagine to fill the pages of an entire book (50,000 to 100,000 words or beyond, depending on your genre). And what you’ve mapped out in detail in an outline … [Read more...] about Use Your Story’s Takeaway (Theme) to Trim Extraneous Content
Need to Get a Stubborn Character Moving? Use an Amplifier
If you’ve researched story structure at all, you know there are many models out there, and they’re all slightly different. The most popular forms tend to follow the three-act structure, which resonates with many readers regardless of genre or format. Within this simple framework, certain events … [Read more...] about Need to Get a Stubborn Character Moving? Use an Amplifier