Why both matter and how to get them on the page, from manuscript to query letter On weekend evenings, when the kids are finally asleep, my husband and I turn on the TV and scroll through the streaming platforms, searching for something to watch. We have a hard time agreeing on how to spend our… Read more »
Let us begin with the very basic question: “What is world building?” If you are going to write fiction, every story needs a place to call home, where the action happens, where your characters live. This can be extraordinarily complex (as in the case of fantasy world building), or as simple as “the story takes… Read more »
Hi there, beautiful people on the Internet! It’s been a while since we’ve met on Wordly Wise. I have been curious how things are going for you with your WIP? For me, I have been tinkering away at my work-in-progress, and I have discovered a powerful secret to unlock my story’s full potential: character development. … Read more »
I am covered in sweat as I write this, with a heart rate around 150 beats per minute. I’m used to writing this way. In fact, I’ve come to prefer it to the keyboard, the notepad, or any other stock imagery you might find when you Google the word “writing.” This technique helps me write… Read more »
The Midpoint scene is arguably one of the most important scenes in a story. Some authors and craft writers like James Scott Bell even recommend that authors write their book from the middle. Others like Jessica Brody (Save the Cat! Writes a Novel…an absolute must in a writer’s toolkit and what this article will heavily… Read more »
As a writer, you have your own unique gifts and only you can do the work you’re meant to do, but you’re also part of a larger art form with a long history and an amazing community. Just as we study the work of the writers we admire, we can study the path they’ve taken… Read more »
Spring is the season of growth, of buds turning into leaves, of new plants emerging from the frozen ground. The same is true of creativity, according to the Five Element Theory of Chinese Traditional Medicine. After quiet reflection during the water energy of winter, spring is the time to transform the ideas that were nourished… Read more »
Have you ever felt like your creative ambition failed you? Writing used to light you up, but not anymore. The want is still there–you want to write your books, you want to do all the things that you think are required to make that happen–but you just can’t. The idea of producing one more thing,… Read more »
What are Villains in Literature? A villain is, by definition, an evil or immoral character intent on harming others. In literature, these characters portray evil and immoral behavior while also providing readers with an antagonistic force or bad guy – a figure against whom to root. They are often presented as self-serving or selfish, especially… Read more »
Let’s be honest, defining genres can be a real bear, and one of the blurriest lines is the one between Science Fiction and Fantasy. If you’re like me, your manuscript has elements of both. So how do you market it? Cue the glazed eyes and the descent of that nebulous SFF cloud. But what does… Read more »
