by Stephanie Morrill | Dec 1, 2021 | Author Life, Goals, Time Management
I don’t know where you thought you’d be by December of this year. Maybe you had a fantastic writing year, or maybe as you enter the last month of the year, you’re feeling disappointed. If your year was incredible, and you achieved all your writing...
by Shannon Dittemore | Nov 24, 2021 | Author Life, Creativity, NaNoWriMo, Writing
Author Alice Hoffman says, “Books may well be the only true magic.” It’s a lovely quote, isn’t it? Paints the book world in sparkles and shimmering daydreams. And while there are arguments to make against the idea, why would we do that? Books...
by Jill Williamson | Nov 17, 2021 | Writing
As writers seeking publication, at some point, we all face similar challenges that have little to do with the craft of writing. For young writers specifically, I hear many of the same questions and concerns. Today, I want to take a look at six specific lies many...
by Stephanie Morrill | Nov 10, 2021 | Editing
Shannon isn’t here today because she’s on the brink of turning in her edits for Winter 2 (SQUEAL!!!) and needs to focus on that. While I know many of you are focused on first drafts right now since it’s NaNo season, as I was thinking about articles...
by Stephanie Morrill | Nov 3, 2021 | Author Life, Writing Life
We often talk about writing being “a journey” and today I’m going to double down on that rhetoric and talk about waypoints. You probably know what a waypoint is, but in case you don’t, they are “a place between major points on a...
by Stephanie Morrill | Oct 27, 2021 | Guest Posts, Marketing
Jenneth Dyck is a dyslexic writer, illustrator, and designer who creates book covers professionally for indie authors and small press publishers. She is currently the senior graphic designer at Havok Publishing and resides outside of Washington D.C. She holds degrees...
by Jill Williamson | Oct 20, 2021 | Writing
Last month we talked about how to get started writing a new fantasy novel. You now have your list of the storyworld elements you need for your story, but you still might feel overwhelmed. Where do you start when building an entirely new world? I have a couple tips. 1....
by Shannon Dittemore | Oct 13, 2021 | Author Interview, Author Life, Encouragement, Learning from Other Authors, Writing, Writing Life
UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is Gabrielle! Thank you all so much for entering. What a lively discussion in the comments! Gabrielle, please check your email for details. Hello, writer friends! I have something fun for you today. An interview with author,...
by Stephanie Morrill | Oct 6, 2021 | Characters, Writing a Series
An excellent question was emailed to us by Rachel. She asked, “I know that if I’m writing a stand alone book my character should overcome her internal flaw or lie by the end, but since I’m planning a series should I create another flaw or lie for the...
by Stephanie Morrill | Sep 29, 2021 | Characters, Editing, First Drafts
I have a tendency to create overly large casts of characters. I never intend to do this, but I frequently have to spend time in edits pruning away needless people from my first drafts. One technique that has really helped me is to think through each character’s...
