New Columns at DIY MFA!

Hey there word nerds! You may have noticed that there are some new faces and names around here on Mondays and Tuesdays. We are SO excited to be launching these new columns, and bringing you more awesome advice and expertise to help you Write With Focus, Read With Purpose, and Build Your Community. One of… Read more »

Six Key Elements of Historical Narrative

Some may argue that fantasy offers the most wide-open landscape for storytelling. But with 5,000 years of recorded human history spanning many civilizations both extant and extinct, empires that have come and gone, innumerable people both famous and infamous, and seven continents (well, maybe Antarctica isn’t quite so rich a source), the worlds and characters… Read more »

Wagon or Wain? The Perils of Linguistic Anachronisms

I almost fell into the trap recently. My protagonist, speaking of his brother, said, “That would be John going off half-cocked, Uncle, not me.” A nice evocative expression for someone who acts without thinking, right? The only problem is, the story is set at the beginning of the 14th century in western Europe. Guns didn’t… Read more »