Telling fictional tales gives us permission to break a few conventional eggs for the sake of making a delicious literary omelet, but writer beware; the limit does indeed exist.
Category Archives: Writer Life
Book Production and Marketing Dos and Don’ts
Writing a story is one thing; putting a book together is another. Here are some insider tips for book production and marketing that will help make the publishing process easier to swallow if you take them with a grain of salt—and some ibuprofen.
Showing vs. Telling (or, When to Creatively Beat around the Bush)
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but how many words does it actually take to paint said picture? Showing rather than telling can make a few go quite a long way.
Man or Monster: Unmasking Villains
The fairy-tale villain is dead. Long live the character with many different faces lurking behind their most sinister mask.
Writing Contests (and Why They Make Us Want to Hurl)
Writing contests are great avenues for exposure and constructive criticism. So why does the prospect of entering them make us feel physically ill?
Writing and Implementing Character Backstories
Everyone has history, even if nobody reads about it. Character backstories are the writer’s inspiration, cheat sheets, psychological evaluations, and vindication, all rolled into one.
Writing Action Sequences
Actions speak louder than words―until they don’t. Contrary to their more obvious nature, writing action sequences is a delicate art.
Finding Your Groove: Music and the Creative Writing Process
The sound of silence doesn’t inspire everyone; sometimes writers have to learn to march to the beat of their own (or someone else’s very talented) drum.
Setting the Scene
World-building is an ongoing, tedious, compulsory process that enables a writer’s control freak habits while we set scenes that readers can really dive into.
How to Appreciate the First (Sucky) Draft
Lesson the first for every writer everywhere: the first draft almost always sucks. But that’s okay. In fact, sometimes that works to your advantage.
K. Watkins 