Creative Writing Blog for Young Writers | One Year Adventure Novel

What I Learn from Theater about Writing Characters

May 5, 2016
Student Contributor
Guest posts, Help with Characters, Push Your Imagination
2 Comments

By Irie Odessa Browning, Guest Contributor I love to act, but I’m a writer, too. One of the reasons I love acting is how it helps me develop my writing, mostly in the area of character development.

When Words Stop Coming

April 21, 2016
Student Contributor
Guest posts, Push Your Imagination, Stuck? Discouraged?, The Writing Life
2 Comments

By Sarah Noe, Guest Contributor At the beginning of last summer, the words stopped coming. I couldn’t understand it. I loved my characters, but they came out on the page flat. My prose was clunky. The theme, which I cared about, wasn’t strong enough to hold up the struggling plot. I was devastated.

Wordsmith or Storyteller: Embracing Your Identity

April 14, 2016
Daniel Schwabauer
Daniel's Writing Log, Stuck? Discouraged?, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tools
3 Comments

By Daniel Schwabauer Writers tend to be predominately either Wordsmiths or Storytellers. Recognizing your own tendencies is not a magic formula for writing success, but it can be enlightening.

Myths: How Do We Use Them in Stories Today?

March 31, 2016
Student Contributor
Culture, Push Your Imagination, World building
0 Comments

By Justin Ferguson, Guest Contributor In my last post, I discussed the role of mythology and the particular power it has in storytelling. Here I would like to examine a couple ways we can incorporate myths into our own stories. Some writers make subtle, brief allusions to myths that are intended to add a “bonus” layer of meaning for those who will notice. But two more significant ways myths can be used are in retellings and original work.

Telling a Religious Story Without Being Preachy, Part 2

March 24, 2016
Staff Writer
Help with Characters, Self-editing Tips, Writing Tips and Tools
0 Comments

By Rachel Garner, Staff Writer Last week, we looked at the problem of “preachiness” in Christian stories, and two major elements to eliminate to avoid coming off as preachy in your own work: Mouthpiece Syndrome and the Willing Recipient. This week, I focus on some other practical ways to address the problem of preachiness, especially when editing important thematic scenes.