When your friends start to leave the nest and send out queries, sign contracts, and talk to publishers – or commission their cover, finish up formatting, and prep to self-publish – it gets pretty gosh darn exciting. Everyone’s on alert, waiting for the next tidbit of publishing news. Their dreams are all becoming real! Highs and lows come hand in hand with the publishing journey. Sometimes a high can be just as stressful as a low – like when a friend of mine was caught between two amazing publishers in a bidding war. Though it’s an awesome problem to have,...
Back in 2014, I finished my MA in Writing for Young People. Workshops were a vital part of the coursework, my love for them grew exponentially. We officially stopped workshopping for class in May of that year. But unofficially? We never actually stopped. Sure, people pop in and out of the group as schedules change, and we’ve added another writer in the meantime. But a year and a half after our workshops “ended,” most of us meet every other week to critique each other’s pieces, even though we’re now split across three different time zones. How do we do it?...
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, these are some universally delightful ways to prepare for the madness of NaNoWriMo (which is coming very soon!). 1. Make a Playlist This is possibly my favorite part of brainstorming: Making a playlist! I particularly love to come up with a playlist with lyrics for characters or scenes, and a second playlist that is all instrumental. It’s a lot of fun deciding what instruments would be used for your characters’ themes in scores, and then building your own soundtrack around them. #nerd My favorite places to hunt for new music are: 8tracks, Spotify browse, and...
You’ve finished your first or second draft. Huzzah! Your plot is fairly intact, your characters’ arcs are in order, and you’re ready to begin revising hardcore. At this point, I like to pull out my friend the chapter revision checklist. After years of revising, trying not to forget any key elements, I finally sat down and put this together. Now whenever I pull out my pens and start tearing into chapters, I have this beside me to make sure I have my bases covered. Click the picture to get the full size. Or click here for a print-friendly black and...
There are approximately 24,594 articles and blog entries out there about traditional vs. indie publishing, so if you’re looking for that debate this post won’t help you much. Instead, I’ve focused on hunting up some good links to give you the low-down on what you might need to know about how traditional publishing works. From publishing house basics to tips on researching literary agents, these links will help you get educated about the traditional publishing journey. Enjoy! 1. How a Book Gets Published For a first time author, a book generally starts with a completely finished and polished manuscript for...
My sister, the writer/illustrator for The Silver Eye, put together a list of questions to ask her character couples. I’ve tidied them up, added a few of my own, and present them now for your brainstorming usage! Character chemistry is one of the most important elements in a story. These questions can help you flesh out your couple’s/couples’ relationship(s), find some hidden details to use in your tale, and discover more about your characters in the process. Though the list is written in the past tense, I’ve found it really helpful for planning upcoming scenes and matchmaking possibilities. Enjoy! Basic Information What...
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...
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...
From the basics to the very in-depth, these are some of the resources I go to when I’m developing new characters. Have a look at my favorites, and add your own in the comments! 1. 25 Things About Creating Characters As a writer, creating characters is probably the most important thing you do. Get it wrong, and the story will be wrong no matter how well plotted. 2. Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page Readers are engaged by characters who do not always act in a predictable way. Think of how to have your character...
