How is Story Structure Like a Mixtape?
Structure. Is it an arc, with rising action and a climax? A river that meanders from its source to its ending? A spiral? An...
I Love Your Theme, but Did it Mean Anything?
In a post on Writer Unboxed, Donald Maass ponders the difference between theme and meaning, and offers advice for injecting purpose into your novel.
According...
Where Did This Come From? Where is it Going?
In a post on the SFWA blog, Kahina Necaise suggests some direct questions to ask while you're editing your story:
Does this come out...
Questions: An Overlooked Tool for Better Critiques
In the latest in their "Mistakes Writers Make" series, the Writer's Digest editors urge writers to ask questions during the drafting process. "We shouldn’t...
Prompt: Around the World with 800 Children
Most of us wouldn't fare well taking a few children on a long trip, so imagine the fortitude required to usher nearly 800 children...
Want to Write Great Horror? Be Ready to Cross the Line
For writers dipping their toes into the waters of horror fiction, finding moments that get under your reader's skin is an important skill. Without...
Fly Your Geek Flag in Your Writing
Writers are always looking for an interesting fact or tidbit to use in our stories, something to pique a reader's interest or provide a...
Use Foreshadowing to Build Suspense
A good mystery can use more than murder and clues to build tension and create atmosphere. Subtle foreshadowing can hint at events to come...
The Want and Need of “Soul”
The Stage 32 blog shares a new video from StudioBinder. In Lessons from a Screenplay, they break down the two foundational elements of a great character:...
What Lurks in the Underground Tunnels of Tbilisi?
Photographer Davit Tabagari has taken hundreds of photos of historic underground shelters in Tbilisi, Georgia, only some of the traces of Soviet influence that...
