Last July, I volunteered to co-edit the Bath Spa University MA Writing for Young People anthology with Irulan Horner. I don’t think either of us realized quite how much work we’d be doing, though we were warned. Over the last ten/eleven months, I’ve worked from afar extensively with our mail-out team, developed a website and social media strategy with Lindsay Schiro, and edited, edited, edited the little book that became Beautiful Lies. (Also, I’m going to humbly approach the #bragtable and mention that the title was my idea – based on a David Almond quote – and I am very...
As many of you probably know, for the past ten months I’ve been co-editing for Bath Spa University’s anthology, Beautiful Lies. Nineteen writers, nineteen stories for young people. We launch in London on 12 May, and while you’re reading this I’ll be landing in England. It’s exciting times! One of the things I love to do is creating quote graphics. It’s a fun design exercise and an exciting way to visually explore creative writing. So when I sat down with Lindsay Schiro to brainstorm ideas for our social media team, I suggested we take a page from publishers’ social media–erm–books. Often publishers will post...
Young writers are awesome. Talking to them makes me excited all over again about my projects — and theirs! If you want to encourage a young writer in your life, bribery gifts are always appreciated. These can be great for birthdays, Christmas, or even something like CampNaNoWriMo(*), which just so happens to be around the corner. Here’s a wishlist to help you celebrate the young (and average-aged) writer(s) in your life: Pilot Varsity pack on Amazon 1. Fancy Pens There’s nothing quite like having fancy pens, especially fancy colorful pens. Pilot Varsity offers an assortment of disposable fountain pens that won’t break the...
My 10 Writing Resources: Characters was the beginning of a series where I compile some of my favorite creative writing links from around the web. Here I present the second post of the series: 10 writing resources I like to keep in mind while I’m drafting. From tools to keep your creativity churning to the basic elements of dialogue and POV, these links will help you get through your first draft. Enjoy! 1. The What If: A List Method for Getting Unstuck It’s inevitable that at some point in the writing process, we’re going to get stuck. Even for...
I’ve completed my reading goal for the year! I set my goal on Goodreads back on January 1, 2014. This year I shot for 70 books, which I wrapped up in a mad rush during the last two weeks of the year. One interesting thing I’ve discovered since finishing my undergraduate (with all the general education and other random classes attached) is that I willingly read a lot more non-fiction than I used to. Case in point: In 2012 out of my 75 books, 4 were “for fun” non-fiction. This year, I’m split even at 35/35. I think it’s a...
I primarily enjoy writing (and reading) fantasy. It’s wonderful when your head is full of another world, with all the culture and worldbuilding attached. But getting necessary information about this crazy awesome world across to your reader can be hard. Really, really hard. The best worldbuilding is done in a steady trickle, so soft the reader doesn’t really know how they know the information. I’m not there yet. Instead of a gently flowing, melodious stream, I often find myself taking a hammer to my readers’ brains and being like, “NOTICE THIS, IT’S IMPORTANT.” This, my friends, is an infodump. An...
There comes a point in every writer’s journey where every idea, every sentence, every word seems to suck. When writing is no longer sunny meadow frolicking, but the Cliffs of Insanity. The first thing to do is remind yourself: Every writer ever in the history of the world has been where you are. Everyone has hated their writing at some point. Or multiple points. Or pretty much all the points. So. Keep that in mind. Give yourself permission to suck. That’s what it’s all about. But if you are desperate for new ways to move forward, there are some methods...
So one or two things have happened in the last few weeks. And by one or few things, I mean a whole ton of stuff. At the beginning of October, my parents came to England for a series of fun adventures. We drove around because my dad considers it a personal challenge to take on as many foreign roads as possible. Bookstores were visited and historic sites toured. Our trip included high tea with my dad, which was something a little like trying to have high tea with Ron Swanson. At the end of October, my parents helped me pack up...
I’ve just published a post over on The Great Novelling Adventure about creating influence maps for your creative writing. I thought I’d take the maps I made for myself and expound on them here, in case anyone is curious. No story (or writer) is created in a vacuum. Everyone has threads connecting their creation to the wider world. Having other forces influence you doesn’t make you unoriginal–in fact, I think the way we interpret the things that influence us is what makes us unique. (more…)
The way I build worlds is by collecting cool stuff from the history, myth and people around me. I blend these details with my own imagination, and create my own cultures. Culture is a vital part to realistic worldbuilding. Normally there are a few particular cultures that interest me at a given time. I read whatever I can find about them, their environment, their traditions and their myths. The interesting details filter into the new world I’m creating (example: at one time, Venetian widows could only remarry on the stroke of midnight). In the long term, there is nothing more inspiring and challenging than visiting...
