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!
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!
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
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
You’re Missing One Thing from Your Serialised Story
Have you ever felt the breathless anticipation of seeing the next chapter from your new favourite story drop? There's nothing quite like serial fiction. No other kind of story causes such eagerness and intense expectation, so it's no wonder the medium has been around so long! Many of today's beloved classics like Little Women and … Continue reading You’re Missing One Thing from Your Serialised Story
From E.J. Robison to The Story Canvas! 🎉
So...funny story. Remember when I asked you all to vote on a blog title last week? Well, I really meant it. I promise I did. But the plain ol' truth is that I'm terrible with titles. After asking around and searching all over the internet, these five were the best I could come up with: … Continue reading From E.J. Robison to The Story Canvas! 🎉
Writing Resources: Daniel David Wallace
Let's be honest: there are a lot of people teaching writing skills online. And in many ways, that's a good thing. You have so many choices for advice about plot, character, narration… Why spend your time with me? Another way of asking that question is: what is "character-first writing," and why should I care about … Continue reading Writing Resources: Daniel David Wallace
Treasure Planet: The Storytelling Masterpiece We’ve All Been Ignoring for Two Decades
Space pirates. Incredibly designed aliens. Spaceships with sails. Cyborgs. A cute alien blob creature. What isn’t there to love about Treasure Planet? And I didn’t even mention the characters or plot yet! This post was extremely difficult for me to write because I love (read: LOVE!!!) this movie—so it’s hard to not just gush and … Continue reading Treasure Planet: The Storytelling Masterpiece We’ve All Been Ignoring for Two Decades
The Story Canvas 