Reposted: Swan Princess versus Jasmine

Take a look at this excellent piece by Mr. John C. Wright, readers! Swan Princess versus Jasmine Political Correctness is factual incorrectness, or, in other words, falseness. Falseness is fatal to fiction. Even though fiction is fictional, in order to be dramatic, it must capture the real drama of the real human condition, including the …

Reposted: 6 Tips for Writing Grief Realistically

Take a look at this fascinating piece, readers: 6 Tips for Writing Grief Realistically By Rachel Evans   “The hero sobbed piteously over the corpse of her mentor, swearing to avenge him. After an hour of weeping, she wiped her eyes and returned to saving the world, setting her sadness aside until needed again at …

Reposted: Single-use Scenes

Check out this interesting article by Nate Winchester, readers: Single-use Scenes How can I tell something is a rough draft or not? I’ve said more than once when reviewing something that “it feels like a rough draft.” Which is probably confusing to people – how can you tell? Well one of the things that makes …

Reposted: Occum’s Plot Scale

Check out this intriguing piece by Nate Winchester, readers! Occum’s Plot Scale Awhile back I had posted this note on plot holes. Later I finally remembered the name I always wanted it to be. So today I’m reissuing the post with a few modifications and finally a much more proper title for the rule of thumb. …

Reposted: Flawed Characters – Part 1 (incomplete)

Enjoy this great piece by Nate Winchester, readers: Flawed  Characters - Part 1 (incomplete) Sometimes I think this stuff must be obvious. But then I watch some TV show or movie… I’ll admit that writers can be a bit too in love with our own cleverness. We certainly love to construct a sentence with more …

Reposted: How to Pick up a Pen

Take a look at this interesting article by J.D. Cowan, readers: How to Pick up a Pen "I'm not an author, I'm a writer, that's all I am. Authors want their names down in history; I want to keep the smoke coming out of the chimney." ~ Mickey Spillane It's been awhile, so let us …

Reposted: How to Write When Suffering Kills Your Creativity

Check out this piece by R.J. Shuffler, readers: How to Write When Suffering Kills Your Creativity Beginning in March, my life became a long string of upheaval, including a global pandemic, a personal spiritual crisis, and a family death. I couldn’t write—nor did I want to, which deeply troubled me.  Writers don’t live in a vacuum. We …

On Theme – What It Is, and How It Affects Your Fiction

For most beginning writers, theme does not seem to be a particularly important part of the writing process. Some probably believe it just occurs organically. While that can and does happen, it is usually a rare occurrence. Though every storyteller has experienced it, this is not a reliable method to rely on for adding a …

Reposted: Going Bright

Take a look at this thought-provoking piece Benjamin Cheah, readers:   This world is a dark world. Open a newspaper and see for yourself. Murder, genocide, civil war, assaults, rapes, kidnapping, sex trafficking, corruption, on and on, and endless litany of crimes high and petty. Any outrage, if any, will last until the moment a …

Resposted: How to Keep Writing Toward Your Goal Even If You Know You Won’t Reach It

Check out this great post from Meg Dowell over at Novelty Revisions: How to Keep Writing Toward Your Goal Even If You Know You Won't Reach It At the beginning of 2019, I set a really big writing goal. I mean BIG. And the strangest part about it is that the closer I get to …