Reposted – GameLit: Not Just Written Games

A thoughtful and helpful reflection on GameLit (Game Literature) from Benjamin Cheah, readers: GameLit: Not Just Written Games Gamelit / LitRPG is one of the hottest literary genres on the market. It attempts to replicate the gaming experience in written form, taking the tropes of role-playing games and reproducing them on the page. As a …

Reposted: 3 Truths to Remember When Crafting Child Characters

Take a look at this thoughtful - and thought-provoking - piece, readers: 3 Truths to Remember When Crafting Child Characters Imagine that, for twenty-four hours, you’re limited to the use of half your vocabulary, your awareness of interpersonal subtext dims, and all your skills and strengths revert back to level one. On top of that, …

Reposted: 7 Tips for How to Add Complexity to Your Story

From K.M. Weiland, readers: 7 Tips for How to Add Complexity to Your Story So you want to add complexity to your story. Most authors do. Complexity just sounds so… sophisticated. It sounds like one of those novels or films that are taken apart and analyzed by really smart critics and professors. It sounds like …

Reposted – Business Musings: How Writers Fail (Part 7): Competition

Take a look at this thought-provoking piece by Kristine Katheryn Rusch, future authors: Business Musings: How Writers Fail (Part 7): Competition This is another one of those deceptive titles, like “Money.” Because when most writers read “Competition” as the sub header here, they think, Yep, there’s just too much competition out there. A handful of …

Reposted: Sight

A fascinating read from Cynthia Bagley, readers! With thanks to Foxfier for linking to it first. This is very helpful for writers of all levels to remember. Click the link to see more: Sight The first time I used guided meditation was at a mental health class at the Las Vegas VA Mental Health Clinic. …

Reposted: Learning from Failure – Mom and Dad save the World

A worthy read and reminder from Nate Winchester. Check it out! Learning from Failure – Mom & Dad save the World Sometimes a really bad movie, can teach you a lot. So I recently watched this movie: I exaggerated a little. It’s not “really” bad, it is – at worst – just below mediocre. It does …

Reposted: Business Musings: Let’s Talk Real Business, Shall We?

A fascinating piece from Kristine Katheryn Rusch, readers! Business Musings: Let’s Talk Real Business, Shall We? Two weeks ago, I posted about agenting changes, and linked to a Hollywood Reporter piece about the new writer/agent relationship. Many of you had sent me that piece, because it is shocking in its happy talk about what is, …

Reposted: How to Structure Stories With Multiple Main Characters?

Take a look at this piece by K.M. Weiland, readers! How to Structure Stories With Multiple Main Characters? One of the most common questions I’m asked is how to structure stories with multiple main characters. If you have two (or more) characters who are equally important to the story and receive equal POV time, how …

A Reflection on Theme: Trust

I will admit that I never had much interest in Raya and the Last Dragon. The movie simply did not appeal to me given what I saw of the trailers, none of which particularly inspired confidence in the plot. As others noted, the similarities in design to Avatar: The Last Airbender* were off-putting as well. …

Reposted: 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You’re At It)

Check out this article from K.M. Weiland, readers! 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You’re At It) “The plot was contrived, and the characters were cardboard.” Ouch. That’s about as bad as it can get when it comes to negative story reviews. It’s also perhaps one of the most common complaints …