In reading numerous works on the writing process and receiving advice from other writers based on their own personal writing habits, I have heard numerous renditions on what up-coming or potential writers must do to cross the threshold into actualized writers. These examples tend to take a dogmatic approach to the process. For example, an established writer will say one, absolute method exists in order to write, which usually just happens to be the method that particular writer uses. I disagree with this. Even if I find the advice helpful, I disagree with the necessity of strict adherence to any singular process.
Research for Fiction Writing
One of the jokes about being a writer is trying to explain the search history on your computer. I know I’ve fallen victim to this stereotype, thanks to the genres I write. Whether it’s getting details about a location, the effects of certain medications, or the decomposition rate of the human body, writers use this... Continue Reading →
“Who says?” A Discussion on Dialogue in Fiction
Dialogue has got to be one of the most difficult things to write, but it can also be one of the most rewarding. Well written dialogue can paint a very detailed picture of your character’s personality and can really help your readers to lose themselves in your story. It can also move the plot forward... Continue Reading →
Multicultural Writing: The Struggle of the Second Language
Around writing circles we always hear the same question about writing bilingual and multicultural characters: when and how do people slip from their mother tongue into their second language? As someone with Spanish as their first language and who is involved in a deeply multicultural border city in Mexico, I can assure you that the... Continue Reading →
Character Development
Tools for Developing Characters Many tools exist to help you craft believable and engaging characters. Below you’ll find some of the best I’ve encountered and a very helpful technique called the secret snapshot approach which can help you discover and reveal your character’s inner most self in a way which readers will love. Sliding... Continue Reading →
Making Monsters
The fantasy genre is rich with imagined monsters, creatures, and beasts. Creations which haunt our dreams and make us walk that little bit faster after dark. This article will first look at a few of the more common monsters before exploring ways to help you become Dr Frankenstein.
Painting Your Story Through Showing
Writers always hear “Show don’t tell!” I remember as a newbie that phrase would be thrown at me, and I would frown at my screen every time.
Battling the Block
Writer’s block. Every writer has dealt with it at some point (Stephen King claims he hasn’t but I’m calling bull), and it can be a huge deterrent when it comes to expressing yourself and getting your stories out. I will touch on some of the main issues that cause writer’s block, but the focus of this article is to explain how to push past the block and to go over the strategies I’ve personally found to be beneficial to me.
Pouring Believable Qualities into Characters
It can be hard to convey qualities in characters, but this should help.
What the Heck is NaNoWriMo?
I remember the first time I saw "NaNoWriMo" mentioned in an online writer's forum. I immediately thought it must be some new, millennial slang term or text-cronym that I had yet to learn the meaning. So when I Googled it, I was thrilled to discover it instead to be an incredible, month-long challenge presented to writers everywhere: 50,000 words in 30 days.