Reblog: When Good Advice Goes Bad #amwriting

Life in the Realm of Fantasy

The craft of writing involves learning the rules of grammar, developing a broader vocabulary, learning how to develop characters, build worlds etc., etc. Most of us don’t have the money to embark on an MFA program in writing. Instead, we educate ourselves as well as we can.

Even if you have an MFA degree, you could spend a lifetime learning the craft and never learn all there is to know about the subject. We join writing groups, buy books, and most importantly, read. We analyze what we have read and figure out what we liked or disliked about it. Then, we try to apply what we learned to our work.

Most writing advice is good because it reinforces what we need to know about the craft, and simple sayings are easy to remember. They encourage us to write lean, descriptive prose and craft engaging conversations.

The same advice can…

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Reblog: Three Hard Lessons Learned While Editing

I’m several weeks into Round One of edits on The Remarkables, and so far it’s been a wild experience—far more challenging than I’d anticipated. I want to share three hard lessons I’ve learned so far from editing.

And then, for fun, I’ll share some tempting tidbits of 19th-century trivia.

Editing Lesson 1: Prepare Yourself for Murder

Check out the rest of Ali’s post…

Ali Stegert

I’m several weeks into Round One of edits on The Remarkables, and so far it’s been a wild experience—far more challenging than I’d anticipated. I want to share three hard lessons I’ve learned so far from editing.

And then, for fun, I’ll share some tempting tidbits of 19th-century trivia.

Editing Lesson 1: Prepare Yourself for Murder

Ever since I set out on my writing dream in 2010, getting to work with an editorial team has been my most highly anticipated goal. It’s been a long wait but so worth it. Talk about a Dream Team! I get to work with editor + YA author Kesia Lupo!

What’s being asked of me is significant. This is no spit-and-polish edit. It’s a major overhaul. Biggest on the list is the directive to the change the text from YA to MG (young adult to middle grade). This means shortening the story…

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Reblog: Agency – What Is It and Do Your Characters Have It?

Agency – What Is It and Do Your Characters Have It?

What is “agency”?

It’s a term you may have heard before.  It means the characters make decisions that shape their environment and push the plot forward.  In essence, it’s the difference between the plot happening to the character (bad) and the character happening to the plot (good).

Ensuring your characters have agency is critical to writing compelling plots that people will want to read.  If you get it wrong, your story will end up seeming flat and lifeless – even if you have tons of exciting things happening in the background.

Continue to read the article…

A Writer's Path

What is “agency”?

It’s a term you may have heard before.  It means the characters make decisions that shape their environment and push the plot forward.  In essence, it’s the difference between the plot happening to the character (bad) and the character happening to the plot (good).

View original post 955 more words

Reblog: The NeBUloUs Topic of ARCs — the orang-utan librarian

I am obviously *not* the expert on ARCs. I only request one or two a year, despite being a virtual blogging veteran at this point 😉 So perhaps I should keep my trap shut and let other more experienced bloggers take the lead on this topic… but then when have I ever managed to do […]

The NeBUloUs Topic of ARCs — the orang-utan librarian

Reblog: Quirks & Stuff – Things to Keep in Mind while Character Building — Des M. Astor

Image by Prawny from Pixabay One of the most important things to me when it comes to writing and reading is a well-made character. As you can see from my extensive character page, I put a lot of work into backstory and appearance for mine. I have a certain brand, and I’m happy to show […]

Quirks & Stuff – Things to Keep in Mind while Character Building — Des M. Astor

Coming soon: Wanted for Exploration, Trained for Lust

Due for publication on 30th June 2022, my newest novella, Wanted for Exploration, Trained for Lust is set to hit Amazon on kindle and paperback.

Synopsis:

William and Carol enter into the kink world separately and explore different fetishes and different people.

Impact play, foot and boot worship, breath play and more are served up for readers to enjoy.

MF, FF and group play scenarios.

This novella introduces readers to William and Carol before the events of Wanted for Pleasure, Trained for Sin. The books can be read alone and do not have to be read in order.

Available for pre-order now!