by Shannon Dittemore | Sep 11, 2020 | Characters, First Drafts, Writing
Side characters are a staple in stories of every kind, but some side characters are asked to be a little more involved in the protagonist’s journey. In order to reach the end goal, sometimes a hero needs a crew. A team. A squad. A company. A troop. Tolkien’s...
by Shannon Dittemore | Aug 14, 2020 | Creativity, Reading, The Craft of Writing, Writing, Writing Life, Writing Voice
I have a thing for real life history that plays out like fiction. Lately, I’ve been reading up on Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames. Two men, one from the FBI and one from the CIA, who sold American secrets to the Russian and Soviet intelligence services during and...
by Shannon Dittemore | Jul 10, 2020 | Author Life, Creativity, Encouragement, Getting Published, Writing, Writing Life
There’s a question I get asked a lot. The question can take many forms, of course: What’s your favorite part of writing a book? What do you love about this job? Why do you choose to do this to yourself? Lots of incarnations, but really, the same question....
by Shannon Dittemore | Jun 12, 2020 | Discovery Writing, First Drafts, Point of View, Story Beginnings, The Craft of Writing, Writing
There is no wrong way to write a story, friends! We talk about that a lot here at Go Teen Writers. And while there is a lot of advice out there on how to plot out your novel, I find great joy in discovering my story as I write. So let’s talk about it. How do you...
by Shannon Dittemore | May 29, 2020 | Author Life, Encouragement, The Craft of Writing, Writing, Writing Life
With three books on the shelf and another on the way, you’d think I’d have a few things about the creative life figured out. But the truth is, I’m always learning. And I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. During my time on the...
