by Jill Williamson | Sep 16, 2020 | Author Life
I had a bit of a crazy week, which included getting a teaching job offer (Hooray!), which meant I needed to rearrange to create a more visual home office (Eeep!), so I will be posting Friday instead of today. Because right now my chair is not anywhere near by desk....
by Stephanie Morrill | Sep 14, 2020 | 100-for-100
We are super proud of everyone who signed up for this year’s 100-for-100 writing challenge. Just signing up for a writing challenge can take courage! Especially during a year of a global pandemic when many of us are facing extra uncertainty and stress. And these...
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 Jill Williamson | Sep 9, 2020 | Author Life, Creativity, Encouragement, Learning from Other Authors, The Craft of Writing, Writing, Writing Life
My first year working in a public school brought to light many differences in how authors write fiction compared to how students write for school assignments. I asked my fourth graders, “How many sentences does a paragraph have?” They were quick to answer: “Five!”...
by Stephanie Morrill | Sep 7, 2020 | Writing
Today in the U.S. is Labor Day, a holiday that exists to mark the end of summer and give people a day off from their laboring. This year for our family, Labor Day marks the end of a looooooong weird season. The last day my kids went to school was March 12th, and they...
by Stephanie Morrill | Sep 4, 2020 | Editing, Guest Posts
Our guest today is McCall Hoyle! McCall is both a lovely writer and lovely human being. Because we had the same publisher and editor, I had the opportunity to hang out with her at two American Library Association conferences. And even though we’ve eaten several...
by Jill Williamson | Sep 2, 2020 | Setting, World Building
Before I get into today’s post, I want to say that I’m SO EXCITED about the new Go Teen Writers book. We will be celebrating this new release in many ways, but the first way is with a cover reveal + cover reveal contest. HOW IT WORKS:You must have a public...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 31, 2020 | First Drafts, Go Teen Writers Books
Jill, Shannon, and I are so excited to tell you that we’ve been secretly working on a new Go Teen Writers book! This one is called Go Teen Writers: Write Your Novel and we wrote it with the beginning writer in mind. We know it’s hard to finish a first...
by Stephanie Morrill | Aug 28, 2020 | Getting Feedback On Your Writing, Guest Posts
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself....
by Jill Williamson | Aug 26, 2020 | Antagonists, Brainstorming, Writing
We’ve talked about conflict and how the main character in your story needs to face obstacles as he sets out to achieve his objective. Most often that conflict comes in the form of an antagonist (or villain) who stands opposed to the hero of the story. That is not...
