by Jill Williamson | Aug 9, 2012 | Writing
by guest author Morgan BusseMorgan Busse loves wacky socks, a good cup of tea, and cargo pants (a mother can never have enough pockets ) She is the author of the medieval fantasy novel, Daughter of Light. Learn more about Morgan at www.morganlbusse.com.Before I...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 8, 2012 | Uncategorized
by Heather Burch, author of The Halflings seriesHere are three of the most important things you need to write an awesome YA novel:1. An unforgettable character2. An impossible situation3. A relentless threatWhy are these so important? They are the...
by Jill Williamson | Aug 7, 2012 | Writing
By Jill WilliamsonSome magazines pay for fiction stories, but writing a short story is harder than it looks. Short stories range from 800 to 2000 words in length, which is anywhere from four to ten double-spaced pages. This gives you very little room to create...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 6, 2012 | Uncategorized
by Roseanna M. White, acquisitions editor for WhiteFire PublishingLet’s play a game–it’s called Fix It or Nix It. The object of the game? To write a manuscript strong enough to get you to “I want to make you an offer!” avoiding, at all...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
by Stephanie MorrillIf you attended the NextGen conference last Thursday/Friday, you probably already saw this post over there, but I know many of you are older than 19 and were therefore unable to attend. So, as requested, here’s my class on those challenging...
by Jill Williamson | Aug 3, 2012 | Writing
By Jill WilliamsonRhetoric is the art of using language. As you write, you use words to tell a story. Your goal as a writer should be to do that in a way no other writer does. Style is learned over time by reading, studying the work of others, and practice.Studying...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 2, 2012 | Uncategorized
by Stephanie MorrillI’ve been receiving lots of emails recently about when the next Go Teen Writers contest is going to open up. The short answer is SOON. Like mid-Augustish, after I’m back from vacation. Sorry contests have been unofficially on hold this...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 1, 2012 | Uncategorized
by Stephanie MorrillA writer emailed me to ask me about portraying intimate scenes in romantic relationships, specifically sexual scenes. “Are those scenes relevant, or just there to entertain the reader? As characters relationships evolve should those scenes...
by Jill Williamson | Jul 31, 2012 | Writing
By Jill WilliamsonEveryone is different. Not all writers like to get organized before they start to write. But after I published a few books and got an agent, I learned that authors with a few traditionally published books out there don’t necessarily have to...
by Jill Williamson | Jul 27, 2012 | Writing
by Jill WilliamsonOn Tuesday we focused on cliché expressions. Today we’re talking about cliché plots, scenes, and characters. Once upon a time (cliché phrase!) every cliché idea was new and original and so brilliant that it inspired people to copy it. (They do...
