Writing Tips and Tools Archives

Writing Secondary Characters Who Stand Out from the Crowd

November 3, 2016
Student Contributor
Guest posts, Help with Characters, Push Your Imagination, Self-editing Tips, Writing Tips and Tools
9 Comments

By Emily Steadman, Guest Contributor How do we create sympathy for the main character without villainizing whoever comes against her? How do we create tension and conflict while treating characters on all sides as three-dimensional people who can be good as well as bad?

Respecting the Past: A Philosophy for Historical Fiction

October 20, 2016
Staff Writer
Culture, The Writing Life, World building, Writing Tips and Tools
5 Comments

By Rachel Garner, Staff Writer If people ask me about nonfiction resources, I’m happy to oblige, cheerfully pelting England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings and other books or articles at them, forgetting that titles like that don’t sound exciting to most people. But when asked for fiction suggestions, I find myself in a sudden quandary.

Research for Historical Fiction – How to Meet the Challenge

October 13, 2016
Staff Writer
Self-editing Tips, The Writing Life, World building, Writing Tips and Tools
4 Comments

By Rachel Garner, Staff Writer This week I want to address what I called Plea for Help One: I’m writing historical fiction. How do I research? I’m going to give you some general guidelines to follow when researching your time period. Here’s where (and where not) to start.

A Secret to Historical Fiction that Won’t Make Historians Cry

October 6, 2016
Staff Writer
Culture, The Writing Life, World building, Writing Tips and Tools
6 Comments

By Rachel Garner, Staff Writer Before suggesting historian-approved ways of actually finding the information you need (next blog post) and exploring philosophies of writing historical fiction (third blog post), I want to explain what the discipline of studying history is and why, when answering writers’ questions, I constantly want to say, “You’re asking this question incorrectly.”

How to Find Out If Self-Publishing Is Right for You

September 29, 2016
Student Contributor
Guest posts, Industry, Novel Submission, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tools
1 Comment

By Miguel Flores, Guest Contributor Each method of publishing a book is its own mix of goods, bads, and surprising uglies. On the one hand, traditional publishing offers better access to exposure, expertise, and a vast amount of resources. On the other hand, self-publishing gives you more control over your choices and is much easier to get into. Is one objectively better than the other? I don’t know.