Dear writers and readers, What a year it's been! Through busyness, goals that didn't pan out, weeks where I just couldn't write, and the biggest change this blog has ever had, I want to thank you—you, specifically, reading this—for being with me through it all. Even more, I want to thank those rare few who … Continue reading A New Chapter: An Open Letter to My Fellow Writers and Readers
Writing a book? Easy. Capitalising a title. . . infuriating. Whether you write books, articles, blog posts, or anything and everything in between, I'm sure you've run into the title capitalisation obstacle before. I can't tell you how many times I've sat there wondering, Do I capitalise this "as"? What about the "before" here? And … Continue reading Resource: Capitalize My Title
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!
A few weeks ago, I got an email from ProWritingAid that changed my life. Funnily enough, I had never used ProWritingAid before, but I was subscribed to their emails because of their writing events. Despite the positive reviews I had heard about the software, I used Grammarly instead because its free version was much more … Continue reading Why I Chose ProWritingAid Premium Over the Competition
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
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
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
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!
For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you a cheerful day filled with family, rest, gratitude, and lots of food! The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely. Louisa May Alcott Happy writing, loving, and eating!—E.J. If you enjoyed this post, I hope you’ll consider buying one … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving!
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!
The Story Canvas 