Beyond the Comfort Zone: Writing Outside Your Box
By BH Shepherd
In:
Poetry
An exploration of how writing in unfamiliar genres and formats can help you grow as a writer.
Stop Being Lazy and Write Different Types of Characters
Stereotypes are played out. It's time to get REAL and write people the way they actually are.
Storyville: How Travel Can Inform Your Writing
In:
Research
Tips on how travel can inform your fiction.
13 Reasons Why Your Novel Sucks At Diversity
In:
Character
A list of thirteen egregious offenses committed while creating diverse stories, coupled with solutions writers can adopt to approach race or any other minority status with sensitivity and respect.
Revisiting Old Works-in-Progress: 5 Ways to Make the Most Out of It
In:
Rewriting
Just because a story is old doesn’t automatically mean that it’s terrible. Here are five tips on how to make the most of an ancient manuscript that you might have once forgotten in a drawer somewhere.
The Top Three Things Your Character Needs
By Cina Pelayo
In:
Character
Want to write memorable characters? You're going to want to give them these.
So You Want to Write Women
In:
Character
Writing women sounds easy... until you have to make them realistic. How does an author craft female characters that real women can relate to?
Two Truths and One Lie: How to Use Real Experience to Write a Story
In:
Structure
Formulating a three-act structure by recycling traumatic memories.
Storyville: Living Vicariously Through Our Fiction
Some thoughts on how and why we live through our stories and protagonists.
Is It Really Such A Bad Thing To Give The Audience What They Want?
Fan service is seen as a four-letter word, but that doesn't mean it's actually a curse.
Writing a Novel With Save the Cat!
By Cina Pelayo
The Cat has had its way with the screenplay, and now it has turned its sights on novels.
What Joy Williams and Denis Johnson Can Teach Us About the Art of First Sentences
By Elle Nash
Some lessons from two masters of the sentence.
5 Lessons Fiction Writers Can Learn From Video Games
If you're a writer who likes games and needed an excuse to play more, here it is.
How to Write Edgy Fiction Without Being Obnoxious
In:
Abstracts
Edgy fiction is difficult to pull off - and requires a depth and understanding of history, literature, and yourself. It's not about repeating what's been done before. It's about expanding it.
The Great Game of Balancing Character and Plot
It's no secret many "Game of Thrones" fans were disappointed in the final season. But what lessons can writers take away from it?
10 Things Every Horror Writer Should Read
By Repo Kempt
In:
Research
Given the limited amount of reading time in our lives, it's important not to waste time consuming material that won't help us progress and develop.
10 Tips for a Superb Reading
In:
Live Reading
Reading your work in public matters. A lot. Here's how to do it right.
Storyville: Sympathy for the Devil
In order for your bad guys to truly resonate, we need to care about them, and feel strong emotions. Even if that emotion is hate.
Storyville: What is Head-Hopping and Why Should You Avoid It?
Tips for avoiding head-hopping in your fiction.
Writing Horror Using All Five Senses
By Repo Kempt
In:
Word Play
How to effectively use sensory details to connect with readers and maximize the fear in your writing.
Improve Your Stories By Eliminating Agendas
By Joshua Isard
The agendas with which you approach your story might be holding the narrative back.
Storyville: Reading Broadly to Write Better
In:
Research
In order to write deep, layered, original fiction you MUST read broadly.
Tackling the Dreaded Rewrite
By Repo Kempt
In:
Rewriting
Here's five hard questions you need to ask yourself before tackling the dreaded rewrite.
Dirty Little Secrets, Part Three: Why the Agent Requested—and Then Rejected—the Full
Good news: The agent requested the full! Bad news: The agent said, “Thanks but no thanks.”
Dirty Little Secrets, Part Two: Why Your Beta Readers Never Finished Your Novel
In:
Character
You worked hard on that book, and your beta readers never even finished the damn thing. Why?
