Category: writing tips
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Harmon’s Plot Embryo: A Writer’s Tool for both Outlining and Evaluating
I admit it: I just started watching Community. Yes, I know. Better late than never. I kept hearing how great the show was, but never got around to following it. Well, now, thanks to Hulu, I can binge watch while I’m cleaning house or laundry or whatever. Lately, though, I’ve been hearing about this “Plot…
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I just discovered this neat website for fantasy writers
I came across this online community for writers of fantasy called Mythic Scribes. Here’s how they describe themselves: “Mythic Scribes is a community of fantasy writers who are passionate about storytelling. We provide a platform for new and aspiring authors, as well as a meeting place for writers and fans of the genre. By sharing…
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What are the most important scenes in a novel?
To overcome feeling overwhelmed by finishing your novel, a writer might want to keep these writing principles in mind: She doesn’t have to write chronologically. She can write her most important scenes first and then fill in the blanks. Now, if she has planned your novel with some kind of outline, then these principles become even easier.…
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Checklist for writing a scene
When it came to my novel, I honestly didn’t think I’d have to do that. But, here I am, the stage of my novel where I am going over each scene, and I am “killing my darlings.” I want to keep most of the scenes, but I have a criteria I go over that may…
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Four quick reads on writing
When I was on vacation earlier this month, I read some e-books on writing. Even though these gems were inexpensive and quick, they provided me with some valuable lessons to apply to my writing craft. Here they are: Self-publishing a Book By Hank Quense Quense has a great series on self-publishing and this is the…
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How I Use My Bullet Journal
My closest friends know my deepest secret: I use a bullet journal. I rave about it. I’m a little obsessed with it. I’ve been talking about it so much, I suspect they are planning a bullet journal intervention. However, if they saw how a bullet journal could change their lives, they would turn the…
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My reading plan for this year: read more “widely”
The biggest pet peeve I have with myself is how I don’t read widely enough. What I mean is, I don’t read across genres. I stick to the same kinds of books. At the end of each year, I look at the list of books I’ve read and I realize it’s two-thirds speculative fiction: science…
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Fiction Writing Workshop: Action Scenes
He extends his sword and then utters these words: “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.” The most memorable part of this fight scene are these words. But why? To find the answer, I wanted to know more about writing effective fight and action scenes. My novel has several of…
Andrew M. Friday 