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 Jill Williamson | Aug 19, 2020 | Creativity, Encouragement, Guest Posts, Learning from Other Authors, Story Beginnings, Story Ideas, Writing
Do you worry that your stories might not be original enough to stand out to agents and editors? Are you afraid to retell that fairy tale you love so much, or to write about a certain setting, time period or type of character, because it feels like too many authors...
by Jill Williamson | Jul 17, 2020 | Characters, Guest Posts, Learning from Other Authors
Paul’s spinal cord was damaged in a car accident, so now he uses a wheelchair for mobility. Timothy has intermittent muscle spasms and weakness after the magical attack that nearly killed him. Alison’s acute synesthesia leads to panic attacks when her senses are...
by Jill Williamson | Jun 19, 2020 | Author Life, Book Proposals, Getting Published, Guest Posts, Learning from Other Authors, Writing
Do you live outside the USA or Great Britain? Are you wondering if agents, editors and publishers in those countries will still be interested in your books? As a Canadian author who has published eight novels in both the USA and England, including at least one UK...
by Jill Williamson | Apr 15, 2020 | Book Club Posts, Editing, First Drafts, Getting Feedback On Your Writing, Go Teen Writers Book Club, Learning from Other Authors, Scenes and Scene Structure, Story Structure, The Craft of Writing
This is our final blog post for the Go Teen Writers Book Club. Chapters 24 and 25 of Story Trumps Structure by Steven James were both so short, I decided to combine them into one post. If you didn’t yet read Chapter 25, go read it right now, then come back to the...
by Shannon Dittemore | Apr 10, 2020 | Author Life, Guest Posts, Learning from Other Authors
Good morning, friends! I have a fun surprise for you today. Author Kara Swanson stopped by for a visit. I meet Kara a few years back at a writing conference in Southern California. She’s a young writer with a lovely soul and a compelling life story. In this...