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 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...
by Jill Williamson | Aug 21, 2020 | Description, Editing, First Drafts, Grow An Author, Writing
New writers often struggle to get the right words on the page and in the right place. This is a skill that simply takes practice to perfect. There are several different types of gaps that can appear in your writing. These are generally handled in the editing stage,...
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...