by Shannon Dittemore | Feb 8, 2019 | Author Life, Getting Published
Last week I promised you some thoughts on query letters and I am here to deliver. As I began to prepare for this topic, I realized it would be unwise to tackle it all in one week. Instead, we’ll discuss the who and why and how of query letters over the next two or...
by Jill Williamson | Feb 6, 2019 | Writing
*This is a Retro Rewrite of some posts I wrote in 2013 and 2017.How do you come up with names for the characters in your books? Do you make them up on the spot? Do you name them after people you know? There are lots of ways to find lists of first or last names for...
by Stephanie Morrill | Feb 4, 2019 | Writing Competitions, Writing Contests
I’m excited to bring back our 100-word contests! These were a staple of Go Teen Writers back in 2011 and 2012, and many of you indicated in your survey responses that you missed them. I’ve missed them too! Here’s how these contests work: Your entry...
by Shannon Dittemore | Feb 1, 2019 | Author Life, Getting Published
Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed how often I refer to “my team.” The excessive references are an outworking of what’s going on in my professional life right now. I’ve had some exciting changes and forward momentum on my projects. Hopefully I can let you all...
by Jill Williamson | Jan 30, 2019 | Creativity, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
I made a new video! It’s been too long, partly because these videos are super time consuming. First, I must record them. And since I make many mistakes, I have to record several takes. Then I must edit the video into one coherent piece. This is sometimes easier...
by Stephanie Morrill | Jan 28, 2019 | Editing, Getting Feedback On Your Writing, Getting Published, Plot, Story Structure, Writing, Writing Life
Looking for the earlier posts? Click here for part one and click here for part two. The last couple weeks we’ve been addressing the question, “How do you know if your book works as a whole?” Links for parts one and two are up above, but as a very...
by Shannon Dittemore | Jan 25, 2019 | Author Life, Creativity, Productivity, The Craft of Writing, Writing Life
We are creatures of comfort, aren’t we? Especially when we’re tasked with doing something that stretches us. If we’re going to run a marathon, we need sneakers that fit perfectly and shorts that don’t rub in all the wrong places. When we’re going on a long road trip,...
by Jill Williamson | Jan 23, 2019 | Goals, Productivity, Writing Life
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural meeting of the Willamette Writers Vancouver Chapter. Our guest speaker was author Sage Cohen, and she gave us so much wisdom that touched on the things I’ve been writing about this past month, I wanted to...
by Stephanie Morrill | Jan 21, 2019 | Antagonists, Brainstorming, Characters, Plot, The Craft of Writing, Writing
(Did you miss part one? You can find it here.) This second part of this series is what I believe is the most critical component of if a story works or not: Character Motivation. Do you have plot holes? A theme that isn’t resonating? Flat characters? My guess is...
by Shannon Dittemore | Jan 18, 2019 | Author Life, Getting Published, Writing Life
“Have you always wanted to be a writer?” When I’m out and about, doing author events, this is the question I get most often. It’s understandable; we all like to see lifelong dreams realized. It inspires hope in us, that the things we’ve always longed for...
