Many aspiring writers unknowingly develop habits that stifle their progress rather than foster it. These tendencies often arise from misunderstandings about what it truly means to be a writer, from focusing too much on external success to avoiding the challenges of the craft. The journey of writing is far more nuanced and personal than simply […]
September 4, 2013 by 31 Comments Writing InspirationHow to Make Your Readers’ Heads Explode
As writers, our ultimate goal is to captivate our readers so completely they can’t help but become obsessed with our stories. We don’t just want them to appreciate our craft or admire our prose from a distance. You want to make your readers’ heads explode by igniting a fierce passion for your story. This kind […]
March 1, 2013 by 30 Comments Writing InspirationHow to Dig for Your Best Story Idea
This post is by Carrie Spencer. I remember the first manuscript I wrote—after I decided to become a romance writer. Do you? I was forty-seven, had a decent command of the English language, and thought, For as many romance novels as I’ve read, this should be a piece of cake. I should have thought, a piece of tripe. Oy. […]
October 31, 2012 by 19 Comments Plotting Your NovelAre You Skimming Your Story’s Potential?
It’s not enough to write a story that just covers its bases. By that I mean a story that essentially works—it’s properly structured, the prose is professional, and it possesses all the working pieces (plot, character, etc.). You can check all the boxes on your story checklist and still end up with a story that […]
January 4, 2012 by 8 Comments Writing InspirationOne Handy Way to Add Originality to Your Fantasy Novel
One of the reasons speculative readers love fantasy is the originality. When reality doesn’t apply, the possibilities for unique characters, worlds, powers, politics (you name it) are endless. But one of the chief complaints of many veteran fantasy readers is that few stories actually provide that sense of originality. (Raise your hand of you’ve ever […]
May 22, 2011 by 45 Comments NarrativeThe Kung Fu Panda Guide to Writing Action Scenes
You don’t have to love kung fuuuuuuu to enjoy a good action scene, but you do need to understand the basics of the action scenes scene if you’re going to blind readers from overexposure to your action awesomeness. Fight scenes, chase scenes, and other action extravaganzas appear in stories of every genre, so consider the […]
May 15, 2011 by 62 Comments Writing LifeThe Secret Ingredient of Original Stories
With all the new books published in the last year alone, you kind of have to wonder if maybe everything there is to be said has already been said. With so many new books churning out every day, surely every idea has been done to death. What room is left for original stories? You may […]
February 13, 2011 by 38 Comments Writing Inspiration8 Signs You’re Stuck in a Writing Rut—and Why You Should Care
Laziness and fear—a writer’s two great nemeses—do their best to keep us stuck in the writing rut. Usually, it’s a very comfortable rut. All our characters are down there with us, keeping us company, cooking up tea, playing chess, and just generally having a happy ol’ time. Life isn’t very difficult, since we never have […]
December 15, 2010 by 26 Comments Writing InspirationHow to Flip Clichés on Their Heads
Originality is hard work—mostly because there’s nothing new under the sun—and it’s difficult to make something out of nothing. But here’s a nifty trick for taking seemingly worn-out ideas and turning them on their heads to create something fresh and vibrant. In a nutshell, all this trick involves is grabbing a cliché, acknowledging it’s a […]
April 18, 2010 by 29 Comments Characters3 Ways to Make Character Stereotypes Work in Your Story
Character stereotypes are bad, right? They’re clichéd stock characters that rob your story of originality and immediacy. Readers realize they’ve read about these characters in dozens of other stories, lose interest, and cast the book aside. Right? True enough, so far. However, what authors often fail to realize is that character stereotypes can be successfully applied in […]
