When you’re writing about modern times in the real world, it’s easy to find names for your characters. Just open the television or think about people you went to school with. But when you’re writing a fantasy story, you need character names that are somehow otherworldly, kind of oldtimey, or perhaps both. I’ve written a […]
Fantasy character name ideas Read More »
Readers don’t care about exciting plot events as much as you think – they care about what happen to the characters. If your characters are the dullest people on earth, however… They might not even finish reading your story. In this post, we’re specifically talking about the protagonist and any other characters that have major
7 steps to fixing BORING characters Read More »
It’s a common problem: Your characters simply won’t do what you want them to do. You’ve got plans, they’ve got other plans. Are you supposed to just let them run wild or can you somehow make them actually follow the plot you laid out for them? There’s one trick that can really change things for
How to make your characters do anything you want Read More »
Scrivener is one of the most popular software for writing novels, but it can have a steep learning curve even before you try to figure out how to export your project without pulling out all your hair. With so many writing apps in the world, are there any good Scrivener alternatives? In this post, we’re
Deckle, the best Scrivener alternative Read More »
Some writers really struggle to write the middle of their stories, but a boring or “mushy” middle is not something that just happens to stories, it shows a lack of planning and lack of plotting. Did you perhaps miss the steps to writing a novel outline? And how do you avoid a messy middle, or
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What kind of a morning routine should a writer have? Not everyone has the time for elaborate morning routines, at least not every day, but when you’ve got the chance to start your day more intentionally, here are some ideas that you can use. They should prepare you for your daily writing sessions and help
A writer’s morning routine ideas Read More »
Everyone knows your story needs to take place somewhere, right? Your characters can’t just float in a vacuum, and being so vague about your setting that your readers can’t even begin to imagine it would be a pretty bad idea. But how, exactly, do you describe places in your writing? How to describe a location
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How do you write about a thick, dark forest if you’ve never been in a thick, dark forest? About London if you’ve never been to London? In this post, we’re going to talk about how to write about places you’ve never been in, and how to make those places feel real instead of embarrassing yourself with
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Creating conflict in your story is no small task, but you probably shouldn’t pull it out of your hat without thinking what actually belongs in your story. In this post, we’re going to talk about what conflict is and how you can insert it into your story without making your readers go “So what?” Learning
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Character profile templates and information sheets are popular, but are they actually helpful? Should you use them when writing your novel? In this post, I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of using these writer tools and about where you can find good ones. The context for all of my posts is that
Should you use a character profile template for your novel? Read More »