Writing for YA
Details, Details: How to Write a Rich Setting for Your Story
It’s incredibly exciting to have a new story idea. The characters develop in our mind and seem to be…
December 27, 2022-
-
Writing for YA
Is Your Historical Novel YA or Adult Coming of Age
How do you know if you’ve written a young adult novel or an adult coming of age? What about…
September 27, 2022 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fithe eight types of time travel
Time travel is a stable in science fiction. Countless books, comics, movies, and TV shows have used it as…
September 7, 2021 -
Guest Posts7 Tips on Describing Surroundings in Your Novel
The story setting in literature describes the where and when of a character and action. The setting of a…
April 25, 2021 -
Romancing Your StoryDoes Setting Matter in a Romance?
The short answer is YES! While falling in love can happen anywhere, the choice of your setting sets a…
January 23, 2021 -
Courting the MuseHow to Level Up Your Descriptions Through the Ancient Art of Ekphrasis
Some writers are blessed with a vivid visual imagination. Just by willing it, they can render scenes in their…
October 13, 2020 -
Writing for YA
Building a Compelling Fantasy World: Q & A with YA Author Amy C. Blake
It’s not always easy creating a whole world from scratch. Amy C. Blake agreed to give a few words…
August 27, 2020 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
How to Make Readers Feel At Home From Page 1
Have you ever walked into someone’s house as a first-time dinner guest and felt out of place? Ten other…
July 7, 2020 -
The Picky PenHow to Edit Setting
As we continue this editing series how we can develop a great story, I hope you’re able to see…
May 24, 2020 -
Romancing Your Story
Location. Location. Location.
When I first visited upstate New York several years ago, I kept getting the feeling I’d been there before,…
May 23, 2020 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
World Building: What publishers Want
There’s something immersive about opening a fantasy or sci-fi book and feeling like there were hundreds of pages of…
April 7, 2020 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
Three Ways to Use History to Build Your Fantasy
Margaret Atwood is well-known for her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian first published in 1985. Her novel covers…
March 7, 2020 -
Courting the Muse
Why Your Contemporary Fiction Needs Worldbuilding Too
If you’re like most writers, worldbuilding feels like the province of sci-fi and fantasy authors alone. Sure, it’s crucial…
February 13, 2020 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
How Setting Can Be a Worthy Villain
It takes a spell-binding plot and evocative characters to create a memorable story. Some writers meticulously plan each plot…
February 7, 2020 -
Mystery/Thriller/SuspenseResearch: Time-waster or Story-builder?
“I write fiction. Is research really necessary?” “… a novelist has nearly the same obligation for accuracy as a…
January 17, 2020 -
Romancing Your Story
“Setting” the Romance
What do you think about when you think of romance? Oh sure, there are the typical things like boy…
September 23, 2019 -
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Suspenseful Settings
Authors begin a new story by creating and building their characters—the hero, heroine, and villain, but shouldn’t we also…
November 17, 2018 -
History in the MakingElectrifying Fiction
The dark house looked lonely and foreboding as Ellen pulled the key from her reticule and fumbled with the…
August 20, 2018 -
Talking CharacterUse Setting to Define Character
You can learn a lot about a person by visiting their house or office. A writer can use that…
April 17, 2018 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
Breaking Down the Worlds of Science Fiction
Which world, or sub-genre, does your novel belong to? Bookstores have general genre sections in which to categorize their…
April 7, 2018 -
Fantasy-Sci-FiFantasy Flash Fiction 101- Laura Zimmerman
Fantasy Flash Fiction 101 Could you write a story in 500 words? What about 100? Flash fiction is a…
July 7, 2017 -
Talking Character5 Character Development Exercises
Go shopping This non-writing exercise can help you connect with your character in a tangible way, by interacting with…
January 19, 2017 -
Dear Young ScribesHow to Choose, Develop, & Research a Setting: Part 2
Once you’ve chosen the setting of your book—which we discussed in Part 1 of this series—it’s important to spend…
July 21, 2016 -
Dear Young ScribesHow to Choose, Develop, & Research a Setting: Part 1
Setting is far more than the backdrop of a novel. It’s the environment that breathes life into a story. It…
June 19, 2016 -
Editing, The Critical ReaderCan a Novel’s Setting Come to Life?
by Alycia W. Morales Have you ever been reading a novel when it suddenly dawns on you that the…
August 24, 2015
