Go ahead and laugh. I know fanfiction is often regarded as Real Writing's ugly step-cousin. It's the dregs of the written word, where art and creativity go to be brutally murdered. If you don't know, fanfiction is any story written in or about an existing piece of art. Like writing a new episode of Lost. … Continue reading Why Fanfiction Is a Great Place to Start a Writing Career
I've once again run into the enemy of all writers: employment. Granted, it's only temporary employment, but it's amazing how much less time you have to write when you're contributing to society and feeding your family. But whether you're a full-time writer or a hopeful on Wattpad, if you want to be a serious writer, … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #21–How Much Should A Writer Write Every Day?
Some tropes we just love. We've seen them 8 million times and we'll happily see them again...if they're done right. This series explores good and bad tropes in books, film, anime, and video games. What was the very first twist ending? I'm guessing it was the whole Jesus-came-back-to-life moment, but plot twists are some of … Continue reading Trope Teardown: Good Twist, Bad Twist, Cheap Twist, Seuss Joke
Yes, yes, the official term is three-way Venn Diagram, but that's not nearly as catchy. Look across the great villains of art history, in film, in movies, in video games, in anime, in anything at all, you'll find three major themes that the writers exploited. All great villains have one, two, or even all three … Continue reading The Venn-Triagram of Great Villains
I'm a writer and editor. I know the rules. Don't use "felt." Don't use "very." Don't use "-ly" words. Don't use adverbs at all if you can help it. Don't use to-be verbs. Show, don't tell. Don't use flashbacks. Start in scene. Don't use passive voice. These are all good rules. But there's one more … Continue reading Writing Extremes are Always BS.
Ever notice how something can get so bad that it achieves a life of its own and gets exponentially worse the longer it goes? I'm sure it has a fancy, scientific name, but I call it "Compound Suck." The more crap there is in a book, the more that crap starts to link together, each … Continue reading “Compound Suck,” and How to Avoid it In Your Writing
I freaking hate the concept of "branding." It sounds so corporate, so money-hungry, so un-artistic. That and I suck at it. That may have jaded me a little. If you're new to the writing world, or art in general, your "brand" is whatever you're selling. As an artist, you're selling what you create, but also … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #19–Who Are You?
