by Stephanie Morrill | Sep 22, 2021 | 100-for-100
We are blown away by the 50 finishers of the 2021 Go Teen Writers 100-for-100 writing challenge! Together they wrote for a combined 1,374,072 words! AMAZING! And I know there are many of you out there who made it through part of the challenge before stopping for a...
by Jill Williamson | Sep 15, 2021 | Brainstorming, Fantasy, Setting, Speculative Fiction, World Building
I mostly write fantasy. I’ve taught lots of classes on worldbuilding. I’ve taught classes on magic systems. Classes on how to draw fantasy maps. Classes on creating a storyworld bible. Classes on creating cultures, creating creatures, and creating entire solar...
by Shannon Dittemore | Sep 8, 2021 | Author Life, Learning from Other Authors, Mentor Texts, Writing
Books are the best mentors for fiction writers. Perhaps that statement is controversial to you, but today I’m feeling it, and I thought, in light of Stephanie’s delightful post entitled, What Should a Writer Spend Money On, it’s high time someone...
by Stephanie Morrill | Sep 1, 2021 | Brainstorming, Discovery Writing, First Drafts, Story Ideas
Story ideas come to us in all different ways. Sometimes our spark of a story idea is a character facing a dilemma or making a hard choice. Other times, we might have an idea for a world we want to explore. This is especially common with fantasy or science fiction...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 25, 2021 | Characters, Writing Exercise
A couple weeks ago, my daughter made a comment that if her friend was a color, she’d be bright yellow. I thought that was such a lovely compliment to her friend, and it sparked a fun conversation in the car as we talked about colors for each family member. I...
by Jill Williamson | Aug 18, 2021 | Author Life, Contemporary, Getting Published, Writing, Writing a Series, Writing As A Business
Jill here! How I’ve missed you all. I got to meet a few of you at a conference last week, and it was so great to hear about your writing and the impact this little blog has made on your lives. *beams like a proud mama* Today I want to tell you the story of my...
by Shannon Dittemore | Aug 11, 2021 | Discovery Writing, First Drafts, The Craft of Writing, Writing
Whether I’m standing in front of a room full of young writers or I’m sitting at my desk penning an article, my goal is always to give my audience something meaningful, something helpful, and something fresh. I find the most honest way for me to do that is...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 4, 2021 | Author Life, Getting Published
Hellllloooooo, writers! Unless you’ve been doing the 100-for-100 writing challenge (Happy day 66! You’re basically 2/3 of the way to the finish line!) it’s been a while since we talked. Jill, Shannon, and I have been on break since June, and...
by Jill Williamson | May 31, 2021 | 100-for-100, Author Life, Encouragement, Goals, Time Management, Writing Life
Today is our last blog post before we break for the summer! So, I wanted to give you all something inspirational that will, hopefully, be a help to you in the coming months. It has been helpful to me already as I followed (most of) these steps for myself as I prepared...
by Stephanie Morrill | May 26, 2021 | Guest Posts, Marketing
Stephanie here. Less than a week until the 2021 100-for-100 writing challenge begins! If you haven’t yet signed up, you can do so and learn all the details here. Taylor Bennett is a Jesus-loving, world-traveling lover of books, words, and stories. Receiving her...
