simpathetic devil

Simpathy for the Devil?

The sympathetic devil trope has become such a mainstay of popular fiction as to be a Pop Cult zombie meme. Audiences - even pro writers  - now take for granted that a demon could choose to do good or even repent and gain salvation. Few people see anything weird about…
November 28, 202320 Comments
Pacing Watch

How to Master Pacing

The Burned Book is now funding. Get the highly anticipated dark fantasy before launch, plus a ton of awesome perks. Pledge now. Writing is an art, and like any form of art, it requires skill, practice, and patience. For aspiring writers, one of the most crucial elements to master is…
November 6, 2023
Fantasy Genre Setting

Genre vs Setting

Friend of the blog author David V. Stewart's recent stream on speculative fiction settings uncovered a curious phenomenon. It seems a lot of people, even some new authors, have trouble telling the difference between genre vs setting in speculative fiction. It's a worthwhile stream, covering a range of topics from…
October 26, 20232 Comments
Writing Spiral

Escape the Writing Spiral

Look around the pop culture moonscape, and you'll notice that former titans of entertainment like Lost and A Game of Thrones have become bywords and lolcows - grim warnings to writers about the price of failing to deliver. Everybody says that these shows disappointed viewers because their storylines devolved into…
October 19, 2023
Influence

How to Manage Your Influences

The influences that shape your writing can be a boon and a challenge. Striking the right balance between drawing inspiration from others and staying true to your unique voice is an essential skill for new authors. Let's explore some practical ways to help you manage your influences while writing without…
October 12, 2023
Book Opening

How to Open a Novel

Every writer knows that the first few pages of a novel can make or break a reader's interest. Author David Stewart's recent stream about the best novel openings ever inspired me to explore how to write an effective beginning that will hook readers from the start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrxKB3WeaoE Here are some…
October 5, 2023
outline

How to Outline

Authoring a novel is exciting, but let's face it, few writing projects are more challenging. The key to a successful novel often lies in the preparation – and that starts with creating a well-structured outline. Let's explore how to craft an outline that will serve as the blueprint for your…
September 29, 20237 Comments
Calling It Quits

How to Know When to Quit (And Start Over)

New authors often find themselves lost in the creative wilderness, wrestling with the decision of whether to keep wrestling with a problem manuscript or cut their losses and start over. Writing a book is a challenge. There's no shame in realizing that a project isn't working as planned. Let's look…
September 21, 20238 Comments
ah! the atmosphere

Setting the Atmosphere

Special Offer: All writing is persuasion. But knowing what approach works and when can be a challenge. Let best selling ghostwriter Joshua Lisec show you the best persuasive techniques to supercharge your writing. Check out his offer now. Writing is about more than scrawling words on a page. It's about…
September 12, 20232 Comments
Princess of Mars protagonist John Carter

How to Write Protagonists

If your protagonist sucks, your story will suck. The engine that drives every story has three parts: a protagonist, something the protagonist wants, and an antagonist (human, environmental, psychological, etc.) who obstructs the protagonist's attainment of that goal. When you relate what the protagonist does to overcome the obstacles in his…
August 29, 20232 Comments