Mythology, Origins, History, Language, Culture, Religion
Photo by 贝莉儿 NG on Unsplash Readers want to be transported out of their reality and into a brand new world, but that only works if the imaginary setting feels real to them. Fleshing out your worlds by...
View ArticleHow to Write Promotional Copy
Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash "Why in the world should I be concerned about promotional copy before I've even started writing the first draft?" you may ask. Kudos to you. You're asking...
View ArticleGeography, Geo-Politics, Maps
Photo by Brett Zeck on Unsplash Ever notice how, when watching science fiction shows, that when encountering the strange, alien race from Tau Celtic 4 or wherever, the aliens all look and sound...
View ArticleExercise: Create a Promo Pack
Create your first draft for each of the following: Tagline Kicker Product Description What did this process bring to light about your story and your audience? In what ways are you more excited to...
View ArticleFinding & Naming Characters
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash Your story can have the coolest world-building and biggest ideas ever, but unless your readers love the characters you create, your writing will fall flat. We are...
View ArticleExercises: Get to Know Your Characters
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash So you’ve found and named a protagonist, gave him a best friend, a dog, a mom, and a few other supporting characters. You’re ready to go! Except, you don’t really...
View ArticleAn Ending with Consequence
Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash Nothing beats a really satisfying ending. Nail your ending and the reader will shut your book with a smile on their face and an eagerness to find out what else...
View ArticleHow, When, and Where do You Write?
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash There is no one correct way to write a story. Great fiction has been written in million dollar offices on fancy computers, in fast food restaurants on notebooks, on...
View ArticleTools, Habits, & Motivation
Photo by Todd Quackenbush on Unsplash Your writing space is set up. You’ve got your fluffy socks on. Your mug is full of steamy tea. You’re ready to go. Now what? What software tools will you use to...
View ArticleCollaboration: No one Writes in a Vacuum
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash Maybe you live alone in a log cabin atop the Bighorn Mountains in snowy Montana. You use an old Smith-Corona Classic 12 typewriter to bang out the great American...
View ArticleChoose Your Genre Part 1: What is Genre Therapy?
This is One of the Biggest Mistakes Most Authors Are Making (Yes, Including You) You’ve probably never heard of genre therapy, but those two words might change your writing life. If you let them....
View ArticleChoose Your Genre Part Two: How Do You Know if You Need Genre Therapy?
If you missed part one, head over here to read it first. So, how do you know if you need genre therapy? Trust me, everyone does, at least a little. A hundred percent of the writers we’ve done this...
View ArticleWorld Building: Leveraging StoryShop World Bar
Writing a 60,000 word novel can be daunting enough. For some of us, thinking about the mountains of research and details that need to be accumulated and sorted before the novel can be written? That's...
View ArticleLeveraging StoryShop World Cards
Every writer finds a unique way to discover their characters. I've tried everything from interviews, discovery writing, psychoanalysis, personality tests, and character surveys. These all work....
View ArticleLeveraging SS Beats Mode (Story Structure)
Story structure!!!! There, now that we've got that out of the way, we can simply talk about the logical framework from which to hang your story. Sure, you could fill an entire university class with...
View Article5 Tips to Find Your Writing Voice (Part 1 of 2)
I didn't want to be a writer. I loved reading and had read four digits worth of books by the time I was 10. I loved making stuff up and writing it down, especially if it would make people happy. But I...
View Article5 Tips to Find Your Writing Voice (Part 2 of 2)
If you missed out on Part 1, check that out here first... 3. Be Funny Laughter is contagious. How many times have you found yourself snorting at something simply because your friend was nearing tears?...
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