One question that an aspiring worldbuilder is going to ask is when to start. Can you build a world without knowing anything about the story you're...
When to Start Worldbuilding
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writing tips
How to Write Ensemble Scenes
Writing a scene with one character is simple. Two isn't much harder, and introduces the possibility of conversation. Even three characters in a...
Writing an Episodic Series
I've written a series of long books. I've written one of more "standard" length books. But my current series is comprised of long novellas. I did...
Worldbuilding: the Gift that Keeps on Taking
"I'm working on a story, but I'm stuck on the worldbuilding." I've heard some variant of this enough times that I felt the need to do...
5 Self-Editing Tips for Maintaining Point of View (POV)
It's common for stories to be told from multiple points of view. It allows you, as a writer, to explore and show different sides to a conflict. It...
How to Handle Surprises
Most people like surprises. For this discussion, we're going to ignore the ones who don't. We're also going to skip discussing unpleasant surprises,...
3 Tips on How to Write a Setting
Without a setting, your story takes place on a blank stage, with characters and actions without a backdrop. But how to go about presenting your...
5 More Self-Editing Tips
A while back a gave a list of tips for authors who wanted to edit their own work before sending it out to an editor. Well, here are 5 more tips for...
3 Tips to Remove Yourself From Your Dialogue
Have you ever read a book where every character sounds the same? How about one where the main character has a set of beliefs that they work into...
The 3 P’s That Will Help Your Writing Career
More people want careers in writing than actually have them. Many are trying to bridge the gap between wanting and having. There is no magic formula...
Writing About Monsters: 3 Creatures for Your World
Speculative fiction is a stretching of the world into new shapes, an expansion of ideas to their logical (or illogical) conclusions. One of the many...
Coincidences in Storytelling
One of the complaints about fiction is that so many times a plot is predicated on a number of coincidences. If things X, Y, and Z don't all happen...
Never Made it Out of the Shire (Pacing in Fantasy)
The Lord of the Rings is a seminal work of fantasy, but if it suffers from a fault, that fault would be pacing. For those who have read it, how long...
Ask an Author: Do I need a writing outline?
I've been self-publishing for close to a year and a half now, and while that might not make me an expert, it is an ever-evolving landscape, and...
Worldbuilding On the Go
Writing is a time-consuming endeavor. Especially when you have limited time available for your writing, the last thing you need is to spend that...
War in Fantasy
War is a common topic in fantasy. Not every story is about a war, or contains one, but at least in epic fantasy, they are more common than not....
Outlining for Writers Who Don’t Outline
You're a pantser, a gardener, whatever you want to call it. You don't want to spend days/weeks/months spinning your wheels planning out your novel...
Grey Characters: No Moral Absolutes
One of the comments I get about my books is that all the characters are grey. That means that you can't just plunk a black or white hat on them and...
7 Male Love Interests
(note: This is regarding male romantic interests for female characters. There are many potential relationship pairings, and to keep things simple,...
How to Write Genius Characters
Who is the brains behind the mastermind? Me? (Uh oh!) It can be intimidating trying to write a character who is smarter than you are. After all,...
4 Ways to Measure in Fantasy
How much? How far? How Heavy? How long? You've taken your readers into a brand new world, painted landscapes and cities with your prose, and devised...
7 Deadly Sins of Fantasy Writing
Writers make mistakes. They're human after all, and that's why there are editors. Some transgressions go beyond mere mistake, however, and reach the...
50 Types of Minor Characters (Part 5, 10-1)
You've got your heroes and your villains. You've even got a sidekick. But who inhabits the rest of the world? World-building is as much about people...
5 Stages of Self-Publication
Doubt, Excitement, Confusion, Frustration, Success, these are the stages you'll go through if you stick with the path of self-publication. You may...