You know what to do! Grab your pen and paper, computer, notebook, and/or whatever else you like to write with. For the month of May, we’ll be covering characters – heroes/heroines, villains, secondary characters, and minor characters. In this lesson, we’re going to discuss the different types and characteristics of heroes/heroines. In Lesson #20, we’ll […]
Character
Lesson #18: The GMC Chart
(Note: At the end of this post is a downloadable GMC chart.) So this lesson will be relatively short (hopefully) because you will need to try it out on your own – and because Kayla did such a great job with the introduction of the subject. *** But before we go any further – I […]
Lesson #20: Hero and Heroine POVs
Check out the accompanying YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbyOWf41l0g&t=79s As we continue our lessons on CHARACTER – today, we are going to address a sticky topic. Every writer has a distinct voice. Sometimes it takes years for the writer to find and cultivate their voice, but it’s there—underneath many layers of writer-ly skin that needs to be […]
Lesson #22: Villains
Antagonists AKA Villains We’re moving into… *dramatic music* villains! What is a villain, exactly? Well, another name for a villain is “antagonist” – that is, someone who is against the “protagonist” (our hero.) Thus, the villain is the character who is against or opposed to (conflicting with) the hero. Heroes and villains have been conflicting […]
Lesson #23: Villains – No Stereotypes…puh-leeeeeze!
The villain, antagonist, bad guy, girl, or Croc-a-cuda is as important as your protagonist/hero/good… entity. Many newbie writers assume the antagonist must be pure evil. I did. Fourteen years ago, when I started writing SPIN, I made my bad girl, Wendy Wetz, as evil as evil could possibly be. She and Satan could have been fraternal twins […]
Lesson #27: Chunking Shallow POV Out the Window
In Lesson #13 and Lesson #14, we covered the basics of Deep POV. In this lesson, we’ll cover some strategies on how to chunk that Shallow POV out the window – right from the get-go. In Lesson #29 and Lesson #32, we’ll discuss how to edit previous writing into a masterpiece of Deep POV, and […]
Lesson #28: Editing Deep POV into Your Manuscript
Kim and Kayla shared some previous lessons about this thing called deep POV. In case you’re scratching your head wondering what in the world I am talking about, check out the links for lesson #13, lesson #14, and lesson #27. How to edit your WIP (Work in Progress) for deep POV? Find any telling stuff. […]
Lesson #36: The Quick Guide to Writing Fantasy
When it comes to genre, there is no real “guide” on how to write a story according to rules; you are the author, and we encourage you to be as creative and unique as you can/would like to be! But there are some time-tested elements that are necessary for the story to be considered a […]
Lesson #39: Publishing 101
Obviously, a lot of people who write (as a craft) hope to see their book published someday. So, for the next few lessons, we’ll discuss the world of publishing! Please note: before we get into all of this, know that the following opinions are just that – opinions. While we will strive to keep our […]
Lesson #47: The First Chapter
Not only am I a writer but I am a rabid reader. I mean, rabies detectors clang when I pass by. Which means I am not going to waste my precious limited reading time on a book that doesn’t pull me in right away. Ain’t nobody got no time for that. So, make […]