It's December!! Anyone else enjoying the chilly weather? Anyone not enjoying it? Personally, I love that time of year when I can finally, finally, dig my sweaters out from underneath my shorts. (Just kidding, I don't actually put my pants in the same drawer as my shirts. I'm not a monster.) I feel like I … Continue reading Slaying Dragons, Paid Book Reviews, Writing Lessons, and More!
Writing Tips
AI Isn’t Our Replacement: Why It’s Important for Humans to Keep Writing
Since Chat GPT debuted a year ago, discourse about AI in the writing world has only increased. Where do you stand on the issue? AI is an amazing feat of engineering, so revolutionary that it’s already changing the world. But, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Already, there’s been a sharp … Continue reading AI Isn’t Our Replacement: Why It’s Important for Humans to Keep Writing
Reblog: What Is a Story Keystone? by JGlover – The Art of Storytelling
http://theartofstorytelling.co.uk/2023/11/22/what-is-a-story-keystone/ What in your story is so important that the rest of the story can't stand without it? It's the theme, of course. This is why I love thinking of theme as this new term I heard from JGlover's post: the story keystone. Even after you've heard me harp on theme time after time, you … Continue reading Reblog: What Is a Story Keystone? by JGlover – The Art of Storytelling
What I Learned about Emotional Storytelling from a Kid’s Video Game
I've been a nerd all my life; maybe that's why I still play Pokémon as an adult. Pokémon was as instrumental in my growing up as Disney, Star Wars, Narnia, and Lord of the Rings. Some of my earliest memories are waking up early to watch Pokémon on TV with my older sister. In my … Continue reading What I Learned about Emotional Storytelling from a Kid’s Video Game
Let’s Round Up the Turkeys!
Thanks for showing up today even as you're stuffed full of turkey, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and whatever else you eat at Thanksgiving! Personally, my favourite was the apple pie. I promise it's not just because I made it. . . Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you've had a … Continue reading Let’s Round Up the Turkeys!
Get Rid of the Fluff!
Time. It’s one thing to experience it, another to relate it to a reader. It takes careful work to manage the flow of time in a fiction story. When do you describe a character brushing their teeth? Or waking up in the morning? When do you detail a conversation and when do you skim over … Continue reading Get Rid of the Fluff!
Reblog: How to Survive and Conquer NaNoWriMo by A Writer’s Path
http://ryanlanz.com/2023/11/13/how-to-survive-and-conquer-nanowrimo/ NaNo's over in a little over a week—which means you still have over a week to win! This is a great post of effective tips to employ during NaNoWriMo. Even if you're almost done with your 50k-word novel, it's never too late to try something new! I've tried some of these methods myself and … Continue reading Reblog: How to Survive and Conquer NaNoWriMo by A Writer’s Path
One Crucial Step You Shouldn’t Skip in Self-Publishing
You have an idea. You write a book. You publish a book. Hooray! But. . . there’s a step missing. A step that will ensure your book is professional. A step that will keep, rather than turn away, readers. Editing. Maybe you think I’m crazy for suggesting that someone would skip this step. If so, … Continue reading One Crucial Step You Shouldn’t Skip in Self-Publishing
Cloudy with a Chance of Insane Black Friday Deals
It's been a weird week in Florida. I haven't seen a ray of sunshine since Saturday, the temperature has sat around the low 70s, and it's been drizzling almost constantly. I haven't seen a week like this in years! Regardless of the strange weather, we've had a productive week here on the blog—and outside of … Continue reading Cloudy with a Chance of Insane Black Friday Deals
Reblog: 11 Fixes When the Words Won’t Flow by Writing Tips & Writerly Musings
http://morganhazelwood.com/2023/11/09/11-fixes-when-the-words-wont-flow/ Newsflash: we all get stuck sometimes. I love this post because it applies to all writers! We all have times when our normal process stops working and we need to do something different, even if it's just for five minutes. The post above provides 11 simple, practical tips for getting the words to flow … Continue reading Reblog: 11 Fixes When the Words Won’t Flow by Writing Tips & Writerly Musings