One of the most commonly asked questions I get in my creative writing classes at school is how to get through middles. People get beginnings and endings intuitively, but the Middle Doldrums is where a lot of new (and not-so-new) writers have trouble. I struggled with middles for years and years, though many novels and […]
#WritingWorkshop Beat Sheets: A Map Through The Doldrums Read More »
Sometimes, when you’re writing, you hit the point where you just want to give up. On the current story, maybe, or maybe even on writing altogether. We’ve all been there, I promise. So this post is for me as much as for anything, and it’s as the title says: bookmark it for when you need
Bookmark This For When You Need Encouragement Read More »
Just a quick announcement that in about 30 hours, Holly Lisle’s biggest course, How To Think Sideways, will close registration for the rest of the year. She’s been making noises for a while now about moving her big courses to once-a-year-only registration, and that time is here. The cons: You only get a limited time
Last Chance For Think Sideways Writing Course Until 2016 Read More »
1) Panic, because the book was supposed to be YA. 2) Research the heck out of the difference between MG and YA. Some good starting points are here, here, here and here (this one may contain ‘language’). 3) Ask for a bunch of volunteers to read the book for you. Look for volunteers who read MG
What To Do When You Accidentally Wrote An MG Book Read More »
“Writers end up writing about their obsessions. Things that haunt them; things they can’t forget; stories they carry in their bodies waiting to be released.” — Natalie Goldberg (via middecember) I keep writing about drugs, killers, and bad choices… what does this say about me? ~ Liana Brooks Me, I write about people who find strength
Writerly Obsessions Read More »
Click on the image for the Tumblr post that has a link to awesome resources at the bottom. Read more:Let's Celebrate! Have You Entered My EPIC FGU Giveaway Yet?L.A.O.S Chapter Three!!!Top 5 Writing Books For Writing Peoples
So You Want To Get Published? Read More »
Although those of you who’ve been reading for any length of time know that my version of ‘back’ is always a little sporadic and unpredictable at the best of times: let’s face it: I’m not great at regular blogging. That’s going to apply doubly this year, because – and although this has hit social media,
I read this fantastic article the other day about drawer novels. If you have a minute to spare, definitely go read it – and make sure you check out the comments, where people have to give a 25 word (or less) description of a novel they’ve drawered. There are some hilarious ones there – it’ll make you
Ye Olde Drawer Novels (Repost) Read More »
Okay, so first of all, this post was bizarrely popular on my old blog. Second of all, it can be applied to many, many things other than writing. Hmm, maybe the two are connected. Anyway. Post. Enjoy. A thought has struck me – as thoughts are wont to do.Motivated by said thought, I re-examined
Look Ma, I Aten’t Ded (Repost) Read More »
A lot of writers unfortunately aren’t really aware of the impact that scene endings can make, and if they are, it’s often in an implicit, intuitive sort of way. A few years ago, I devised this example as a way of teaching scene breaks to students, and some of my writing friends found it helpful.
The Impact of Scene Endings: A Writing Workshop Read More »
