Category: advice

Plot Contrivance – Character Balance Rule.

Simply put, whenever a character dies or is killed off, usually they need to be replaced. There is rarely a gap. Either a mentor is replaced by a comforting friend, or a family member is replaced by a lover, or a future disciple. While the replacing character doesn’t usually take on the role of the previous person, they are intended to fill the void. … Read More Plot Contrivance – Character Balance Rule.

The Plot Formula

Okay, so today I’m going to go over a few formulas I have for a good story, as well as a couple of character study aspects. Let’s start with the formulas shall we? Dark/Sad ending =/= bad movie. Okay I know a lot of us grew up on Disney stories and fairy tales and are used to the happy endings. So when we get a … Read More The Plot Formula

When is the right time to publish?

The moment a literary agent says ‘yes’ to you!!! IF you are that lucky! In all seriousness though a good amount of authors peddling their works are self published and that decision comes down to them. That said, one could make the argument that the author decides when to seek out an agent as well. So this piece goes out to everyone. When to … Read More When is the right time to publish?

Author’s Advice (Part 1)

The best advice I can give to any new authors out there is probably going to surprise everyone: Completely disregard what your potential audience may want. Yup, you read that right. I’m giving you permission to be completely selfish with your writing, because it’s just that; YOUR WRITING! The characters you create are yours, the world you set them in are yours, you are … Read More Author’s Advice (Part 1)

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To illustrate or not to illustrate?

It’s a question that has plagued many a fiction writer. Should you add illustrations to your novel? Should you include images of your characters on the cover of your book or should you restrict all imagery to symbols and leave the rest to the reader? To be honest, I’ve heard credible arguments on both sides of the isle and they both have good points. … Read More To illustrate or not to illustrate?

Sequels

Lately a lot of remakes have found their way onto the market. For the most part none of them have been any good. Think about it… Most of the Disney sequels… Ghost Rider 2, Everything after Jaws, the supposed new Ghost Busters move (yup, I’m projecting), Men in Black 2, Men in Black 3, The Exorcist 2: The Heretic, Both Matrix Sequels, Pirates of … Read More Sequels

Rules…

I heard someone talk about this a while back and I 100% agree with the thought process here. When you begin writing, the first step in creating the world that you’re setting your characters down in is to determine what can happen and what can not happen. Remember the basics; Who, what, where, when, why, and how? Let’s take me for example. I write … Read More Rules…

Inspiration?

So a lot of people ask me where my inspiration comes from. Where do I get my ideas, how do I decide what happens to each character? Well it really depends on what day it is and what part of the story I’m writing about. I’ll explain a little bit more in-depth as we go… First off, Lia’na, one of the most beloved characters … Read More Inspiration?