Writing Tips and Tools Archives

Make Your Characters Suffer Without Losing Your Humanity

October 2, 2014
Student Contributor
Culture, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tools
16 Comments

Justin Ferguson, Guest Contributor Allow me to say this up front: This post is about inflicting suffering on our characters – specifically, I want to address a negative way we as writers often approach the subject.

Practical Steps to a Rewarding Fantasy Map

September 18, 2014
Staff Writer
The Writing Life, World building, Writing Tips and Tools
9 Comments

Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer How do we make our story world maps the best they can be? After tackling intimidation, and coming to terms with the risks we take by not actually drawing our fictional world, how do we actually make the map?

How a Map Can Save Your Story

September 4, 2014
Staff Writer
Push Your Imagination, Stuck? Discouraged?, The Writing Life, World building, Writing Tips and Tools
12 Comments

Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer In last week’s post we tackled the intimidation many of us feel about creating a map for our novels. (Thanks, no thanks, J. R. R. Tolkien.) This week we focus on why we can’t afford to give up the dream or hand off the project to someone else.

Do What Tolkien Did (But Not What You Think He Did)

August 21, 2014
Staff Writer
Push Your Imagination, Stuck? Discouraged?, The Writing Life, World building, Writing Tips and Tools
17 Comments

Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer Some thoughts on why we writers are often intimidated by fantasy maps

Why You Should Write Bad Novels

July 18, 2014
Student Contributor
Stuck? Discouraged?, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tools
3 Comments

Kathryn Comstock, Guest Contributor I recently finished my fifth novel, #754. So far, this one is the best developed. The public will likely never see the novels that came before #754, however, I learned many valuable lessons from those novels that show in my writing today.