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National Novel Writing Month – Advice & Inspiration

With National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) well under way, here are some articles and resources to help you succeed: 30 Ways to Resuscitate a Dying NaNoWriMo Novel There sometimes comes a point when you think, “Why in the hell am I doing this?” If you are asking yourself this question, here are 30 ways to … Read more

Writing Outside Your Home

by Nils Ödlund

A few months ago I wrote about how going for a walk can have a positive impact on your creativity (here). It’s time to build on that. How about bringing your writing tools with you? You could stop somewhere along the way to do a bit of writing. Sounds good? It is. Okay, correction, it’s … Read more

Sparks and Clicks: A Guide to Sparkly Storytelling

by Featured Author

This article is by Sheila Wisz Ellayn. Ever since I can remember, the impulse for imagining stories has been inside of me. At first I had little interest in writing about the characters and images in my mind, and I limited them to personal enjoyment. As a child it was great fun to imagine my … Read more

How Walking Sparks the Imagination

by Nils Ödlund

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings In this article, I want to tell you about one of my favourite pastimes. It’s a … Read more

Write More, Care Less?

by Philip Overby

With November comes NaNoWriMo and by now many people are either realizing:

a. they might have something worth salvaging.
b. they have a steaming pile of crap.
c. a and b
d. none of the above

I came to the conclusion a couple of years ago that having a steaming pile of crap can be a good thing. Yeah, gross, right? So the age old question comes into play: is it better to have nothing or a bunch of slop on a page?

I think the key is to just care less while you’re writing. This doesn’t mean dishing out whatever random junk you have in your arsenal and hope it works. It means stop worrying about sentences not being perfect or how you’re going to market it.

Don’t Let Quality Stop You Now

by Nils Ödlund

It’s November.

That means the NaNo is on. National Novel Writing Month. Write a novel in a month.

In the case of the NaNo this means 50,000 words in thirty days. That’s a lot of words – unless you’re a full time writer, or very productive, or for some other reason you’re just used to it and don’t feel it’s a big deal.

For me, 50,000 words is an enormous amount. I won’t be taking part in the NaNo, but that doesn’t mean I’m opposed to it, and I won’t try and convince you not to do it. It’s just not my thing.

What I will try and do is encourage you to keep going if you’ve started.

Avoiding Fantasy Fatigue

by Philip Overby

If you’re reading this article you might be thinking two things:

1. Why would a fantasy website feature an article about being burned out with fantasy?

2. I’m burned out on fantasy, so I want to see what this guy rants about.

Well, to put this into perspective, I’m a life-long fan of fantasy, have written it for years, and consider it my bread and butter. However, I often hear the advice, “Read outside your genre.” The same can apply to writing. Embracing different styles and genres might just increase your love for your “main genre.”

Is it bad to abandon your main genre for a spell and try something else? Let’s explore this idea together, shall we?

Keeping Readers Reading (And Yourself Writing)

by Philip Overby

It’s becoming easier and easier for people to put books down these days. With so many entertaining distractions in the world, writers have to fight for readers’ attention more than ever.

Normally, I approach these articles only from the stance of a writer. However, today I’m going to wear two hats: one small writer’s beret with an over-sized reader’s fedora over it.

While it’s sometimes hard to think in two different modes, thinking as a reader can help you answer the age old question, “Is this story worth my time?”