Writers are artists, but the good ones are also cold, ruthless killers. Here’s how to commit literary murder―and get away with it, too.
Tag Archives: creative development
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.
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.
Writing Mythical Creatures
Fiction writing lends itself to an endless array of characters, from humans to mythical creatures: borrowed, created, or something in between.
Writer’s Block: If You Can’t Beat It, Steer into the Skid
Writer’s block is a fact of life for us word nerds, so sometimes you’ve got to stop fighting it and steer into the skid.
The Power of Free-range Pens
The world is a scary place that often leaves us feeling like the butt of some cosmic joke. But pens are still mighty and capable of giving reality the occasional swift kick in the ass.
K. Watkins 