Educated–The Form and Structure of Memoir
This post written by editor Charity West. Tara Westover knew her family was different from other families in her community because she and her siblings do not attend school. Raised in Idaho in a large, Mormon fundamentalist family Tara spends her days working in her father’s junkyard, or helping her mother make essential oils and […]
Why Ideas Don’t Matter
This post written by Callie Stoker, founder and managing editor. A few years ago I was attending a local writer’s conference with a panel of successful writers. I don’t remember all the authors on the panel, nor the panel’s actual subject matter, I only remember that Howard Tayler (of the award winning Schlock Mercenary and […]
The Truth About Dialogue Tags
It has become common writing knowledge that “said” is the way to go when it comes to clarifying who is speaking in our writing. We know that “he vociferated” is not gonna fly for the reader, right? “Said” is a funny thing. It is necessary telling used for clarification. So yes, stick with “said”. But […]
Copyeditor, Line Editor, Content Editor. Oh My!
After lots of hard work and all those hours during #NaNoWriMo, you’ve finally finished your story! Hooray! But maybe you aren’t sure it’s ready to be sent off to a publisher? Maybe you’re hoping to self-publish? Maybe your manuscript is still unfinished because you’re having trouble figuring out where you want it to go, and […]
Worldbuilding with Havencross
Language. Economy. Crime. Myths. Natural Resources. How do you fit worldbuilding on all these subjects into a 217 page romance? You pick two to focus on deeply and weave the rest in subtley, as Julie Daines does in Havencross. Havencross is a regency romance. Books in this genre are set in early nineteenth century England, […]
Hack the Reader’s Brain with the 5 Senses
Writers have one of the coolest jobs in the world—creating whole worlds inside another person’s brain. #writing #brainhack #storytelling Writing, really, is a unique form of telepathic communication, transporting characters, places, plots, and ideas across time and space. I don’t think I have to tell you that as cool as this job is, it’s also […]
The Knife of Never Letting Go–Writing Secrets
Updated: Jun 18, 2018 Writing your story’s secrets is hard. Here’s a book that nails it and keeps you turning pages. #writingadvice #writingtips #writingsecrets I love a book that grabs me from the first lines and doesn’t let me go. THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness is over 500 pages long and I […]
The Raven Boys–Third Person Voice
The Story: Blue Sargent is the only non-psychic in a family of clairvoyants. But on St. Mark’s Eve, Blue sees her very first spirit, the shade of a boy who will die in the next twelve months. There’s only one reason she would be able to see him: either he’s her true love, or she’s […]
Why ‘Show Don’t Tell’ is Terrible Advice
Updated: Jun 18, 2018 Everyone’s saying it, but it’s called storyTELLING for a reason, right? Telling is a legitimate tool of writing, but just like a hammer isn’t much good without a nail, this tool needs the right partners to succeed in your storytelling. #writingtips #writingadvice It all started with Anton Chekhov. Yes, the same playwright […]