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!
fiction writing
Why I Chose ProWritingAid Premium Over the Competition
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
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
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!
Three Keys to Crafting Memorable Dialogue
'How are you?' [Mr. Holmes] said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. 'You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.' 'How on earth did you know that?' I asked in astonishment. 'Never mind,' said he, chuckling to himself. 'The question now is about hemoglobin. No doubt … Continue reading Three Keys to Crafting Memorable Dialogue
From Hobbiton to Mordor: Creating Your Own World Like Tolkien’s
There are few works as enduring as J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even now, decades after the books were written, movies and shows are still being made. Books on Middle Earth are still being published. In fact, there's even a Lord of the Rings concert coming to my city soon, and it's a … Continue reading From Hobbiton to Mordor: Creating Your Own World Like Tolkien’s
The Balancing Act of Using AI for Writing
The world is being taken over by robots—at least, that's what it feels like after all the headlines claiming that AI is stealing writers' jobs and robbing authors of their unique voices. The horror stories are real. I've known people who have had their jobs replaced by AI (although in most cases, their bosses later … Continue reading The Balancing Act of Using AI for Writing
Should You Go for NaNoWriMo?
If you've been a writer for at least a year, you've probably heard of NaNoWriMo. On the other hand, if you're new, welcome! And don't worry; you'll soon be spouting off these crazy words like the rest of us. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. In the month of November, writers from all around … Continue reading Should You Go for NaNoWriMo?
Unveiling a New World for Captivating Fiction
Two months ago, everything changed. After several months of learning, thinking, planning, and reworking my goals, I decided that I was going to make a shift. A very big shift. I started this blog four and a half years ago, intending to post my stories and just see what happened. Time passed, and soon enough, … Continue reading Unveiling a New World for Captivating Fiction
The Story Canvas 