Words lose their meaning over time, and more often than not end up meaning something different from what they originally meant. All in all, there are many ways to reinforce your writing. You can pick one or all of these techniques to use if you are in need of re-enforcement in your own writing. The […]
Most people write to express their feelings or to entertain their readers. However, some write to make the world a more peaceful place. The weather in Oakland keeps changing. It’s no longer hot in the morning, or cold in the evening. It’s not raining, it’s not humid. It’s not windy. It’s not sunny. It’s not […]
Today, we’re going to talk about motivation. Motivation is what keeps you going. Motivation is what keeps you going in the face of adversity. And motivation is what keeps your villains going, too. Motivation can be a powerful thing. There are lots of reasons the villains in our stories do the things they do. Sometimes […]
Movement is a complex topic but excellent practice. To keep a reader engaged, you must keep them turning pages. In other words, you need to ensure that your character — and other characters — move around. Movement could be physical, but it could be an emotional state of mind too. Even if you’ve wrapped up […]
The central conflict is the driving force behind your story. It drives the plot forward, and it acts as a key to understanding what you’re trying to say as the author. You may have seen a version of this table in the past. The conflict is what will drive your story, both for your reader […]
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure what age I started to write down my thoughts, but my first memories go back to my early childhood. I remember writing my first fanfiction when I was about 13, and it involved a girl group based on the Spice Girls—no shame […]
Developing our characters is what we do as writers, but they can also be trouble. Maybe you created a particular character to be so annoying that you never want to see them again. Perhaps they’re so crucial to your story that you can’t even think about killing them. But, what is the best way to […]
Today’s blog goes hand in hand with last week’s post. One of my goals with these guides is to think about different ways to look at story development. You put your characters through the wringer in every way! Despite what some writers may claim, there is no such thing as a “right way” to approach […]
Every writer has a style, a personality that influences the way they write. Some may be fast and crude, others reserved and timid, and some may be witty. Some may even be all of the above! I took my pursuit of knowledge further and sat for my Masters of Fine Arts in Writing. It’s a […]
Self-editing is an integral part of any writer’s craft. Looking back over your work, writing specific paragraphs or sections over again can often be the only way to evaluate whether or not your writing is strong enough for publication. The problem is that self-editing can be tedious and time-consuming. Editing can be tough to look […]