Category Writing Tips

Reblog — Staging the Scene — Writer Unboxed

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One of my favorite things about reading fantasy and historical fiction is the element of description. Setting scenes and locations is fundamental to these genres. It is also one of the most fun aspects to write, as you may have noticed if you read my Collection of Huphaea blog series. This blog post explores scene-setting from a couple perspectives. I found it informative and thought-provoking, see if you do too.~

Image by Thomas H. from Pixabay I have always been a visual writer. When formulating a scene, I have to envision each moment in exacting detail. As such, a good deal of my editing process involves scaling back, sharpening key images and finding short cuts to capture the feel of a moment with fewer words. Even…

Staging the Scene — Writer Unboxed

Reblog — Show Me the Money: Royalties, Rights & Riches for Indie Authors — Writer Unboxed

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

On the heels of the finish of NaNoWriMo, this Writer Unboxed post discusses many of the questions authors need to answer for themselves as they decide on a publishing route. Indie or trad? Have you made your decision yet, before you start the editing process with your new manuscript? This post is full of information about this all important decision. Enjoy!~

I made my independent publishing debut back in 2011, and if this journey has taught me anything it is that realistic expectations are critical to a productive, rewarding experience. 2,413 more words

Show Me the Money: Royalties, Rights & Riches for Indie Authors — Writer Unboxed

Reblog — 058 How to Write Dialogue with Jeff Elkins — SACHA BLACK

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

Dialogue is one of the integral pieces of a story. It is a vehicle for building characters, deepening empathy, advancing the plot, and setting tone and pace. Some authors find it difficult, while others revel in composing it. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, this podcast episode is full of tips on writing strong dialogue. Give it a listen!~

Hello Rebels, welcome to episode 58 of The Rebel Author Podcast. This week I’m talking to dialogue expert, Jeff Elkins. We’ll be talking through tips and tricks to boost your character conversations as well as deepening your characterisation. In this episode we cover: The most important elements when creating dialogue Mistakes to avoid when writing…

058 How to Write Dialogue with Jeff Elkins — SACHA BLACK

Reblog — Ground Your Characters with All Five Senses — Writer Unboxed

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

Writers are cognizant of how important it is to include all of the senses in the narrative. This article explores how important inclusion is, for the author and the words.~

When I’m writing—these articles, for example—I often compose a kind of first draft in my head, and I usually do it when I’m out on a long walk with the dog. For this article, I knew I wanted to get across the idea that writers can introduce elements from one or all of the five…

Ground Your Characters with All Five Senses — Writer Unboxed

Reblog — Basing Your High-Fantasy Towns and Cities in the Real World — Nicholas C. Rossis

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

If you write fantasy, you most likely have asked yourself a question along the lines of “What kind of world do I have and how can I keep track of it?” I can say I went with a completely fictitious world that my character passes through a portal to reach, but it starts in the real world here. This informational post has a few tips to keep in mind when you start to worldbuild.~

I wisely started the map and made the story fit. The above words, spoken by none other than J.R.R Tolkien, have been taken as sage advice by many an accomplished – or budding – fantasy writer who felt inspired to create their own world. While Tolkien, like many others, has been lauded for his incredible…

Basing Your High-Fantasy Towns and Cities in the Real World — Nicholas C. Rossis

Reblog — Why Writers Should Consider NaNoWriMo in 2020 — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

It is almost NaNo time again, hard to believe, but then again, no. I remember considering it last year and opting out because my mind was a chaotic mess. I had far less of an idea of the book I am writing than I do now. Will I this year? I am thinking hard about it again, but my reaction to the pressure of winning is now my concern. Perhaps I will modify the goal to make it attainable, yet still a challenge. This post outlines some great reasons why I, and you, may just want to hop on the NaNo bandwagon. Stay tuned for my decision 😉.~

Let’s not mince words: 2020 has been a real crap sandwich. COVID has caused all sorts of struggles, anxiety, and challenges. Some of you have had work disrupted. Others wanted to travel to see loved ones and couldn’t. All of us are feeling isolated or overburdened, and everyone’s schedule has gone off the rails. BUT.…

Why Writers Should Consider NaNoWriMo in 2020 — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Reblog— What—and How Much—Belongs in Your Novel? — Writer Unboxed

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

Here is a different take on the oft-asked “How long should my novel be?” or “Is x words too long?” Read on to hear what Mr. Maass has to say about this age-old query.~

“How long is too long?” The question comes up at every conference. How long should a novel be? It puzzles me that this anxiety persists. We are in a literary era that tolerates length. Game of Thrones, anyone? Even at 292,000 words, George Martin’s first novel in his epic series is not even in the…

What—and How Much—Belongs in Your Novel? — Writer Unboxed

Reblog— Identifying Your Character’s Primary Attribute — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

Here’s another stellar post from the gals at WHW. If you haven’t checked out their author tools, do it now! (Well, after you read this post 😉).

When I think about some of my favorite protagonists, I can usually identify a trait that defines each one: Sam Gamgee: LoyaltyAnne Shirley: ImpulsivityJames T. Kirk: Boldness However, if each character was made up of only that one trait, they probably wouldn’t make many “favorites” lists because they’d be paper-thin—caricatures, rather than characters with depth…

Identifying Your Character’s Primary Attribute — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Reblog: A Bit About Time Travel… — Rie Sheridan Rose

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How to address the continuum of time in stories is always relevant—we have to use the past to explain the present and future, right? Here are a few reminders on how to do just that from a fellow blogger and writer.~

In writing, especially a novel, it isn’t likely that everything you want to say is linear in time. It MIGHT be…but there is a good chance that you want to tell something that happened in a characters past–or flash forward to what might be in their future. Getting this back (or forward) story into the […]

A Bit About Time Travel… — Rie Sheridan Rose

Reblog: How To Research Mental Health and Trauma For Your Characters — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

The topic of using mental health in character construction comes up frequently in writer’s groups. This blog post, along with Episode 42 of The Rebel Author podcast, (which you can find here), outlines some of the considerations and research avenues writers should explore as they write characters to life.~

Giving a character a trauma or mental health backstory seems like an easy way to add internal conflict to our characters – and it is. But where do you start that research? What should you be looking for? No one likes to read a story and find the writer just plain got something wrong. It…

How To Research Mental Health and Trauma For Your Characters — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®