Category: theme

  • Friday’s Findings: Starting with Ambience

    Friday’s Findings: Starting with Ambience

    “. . . I start with theme and vibe – the ambience, the mood of it. Then I get hazy images of what I want the characters to experience, and I start to develop their backgrounds and exchanges and developments that dovetail with it all. The world fills in in the background as I go.”…

  • Friday’s Findings: The Perfect Story?

    Friday’s Findings: The Perfect Story?

    This week, I came across some articles that go over the basics of fiction: story elements, types of characters and the three act story structure. I also came across Writer’s Digest’s 50 best websites for writers in 2023. Elements of Fiction: A Quick Guide to Writing the Perfect Story – Kotobee Blog A refresher on…

  • Friday’s Findings: Vision Boards and Facial Cues

    Friday’s Findings: Vision Boards and Facial Cues

    My Seven writing rules – JMJ Williamson Not so much ‘rules’ as they are ‘preferences.’ How to Write a Good Villain: 6 Scenes Your Story Needs (thewritepractice.com) Some good suggestions for scenes to make your antagonist more real to the reader. Fiction University: Give Your Story Meaning with Inner Conflict and Theme (janicehardy.com) Some good…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    One thing I’m realizing as I work on my WIP is that even as I am writing the third draft, it’s going to need rewriting. Major rewriting. But that’s okay because at least I have something to work with. But the lesson I’m learning is to just finish the draft. Don’t stop and start over.…

  • Writing Advice Page Updated

    Writing Advice Page Updated

    Have you ever wished you knew more about writing short stories and novels? How to write realistic dialogue? How to create smooth prose? I’ve updated my writing advice page by collecting links to articles on fiction elements. Feel free to explore them to hone your writing craft through learning or reference. Topics include: Backstory Beats…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    It’s Friday and I have a lot of things to do this weekend for my writing. First, I need to format the paperback version of my latest novella, WhereHow; the ebook version is now available. Secondly, I need to work on the next episode in my novella series, Consortium; it’s called Traption. And finally, I…

  • Infographic Tuesday: What Lies Beneath

    Infographic Tuesday: What Lies Beneath

    This infographic from Reedsy shows the difference between plot, story and theme.

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    Articles on writing I’ve read lately … This Is How to Transform Info Dumps into Exciting Plot Reveals How to Easily Create a Book Outline for a Novel in Less Than an Hour NaNoWriMo Prep (Free Character Worksheet) The Difference Between Topic and Theme Storytelling Exercise: Plot Analysis 12 Signs You’re Afraid of Your WIP…

  • How I got to my rough draft

    How I got to my rough draft

    Now I’m getting to the fun part! Sorry I haven’t published in a while. I have a good excuse: I finished the draft of the novel I started for 2018’s National Novel Writing Month. I’m calling it The Sentient and it falls under the genre of science fiction, more specifically, space opera. One thing I’ve…