Atmosphere: what is it really? It sounds ethereal, hard to describe and even harder to define in your own writing. Atmosphere is another word for mood; it’s the feeling a writer wants their readers to experience, like suspense or foreboding, longing or joy. Individual scenes can have a particular mood, while the overall novel has… Continue reading How to Create Atmosphere in Your Writing
My favorite part of writing is creating conflict. Well, my true favorite part of writing is angst but really good angst stems from really good conflict. So what is conflict exactly? Conflict is basically what keeps a character from getting something that they want. Without it, the character would just go on living their life… Continue reading Thoughts on Creating Conflict
There are different types of IP in traditional publishing. IP stands for “intellectual property” and from a legal standpoint any story idea is intellectual property. But in traditional publishing, we tend to use IP as shorthand for any project owned by a company that hires an individual author to write it. So this can run… Continue reading Introduction to Writing IP & Book Packaging
If you’ve ever read any book reviews, or ever received any critiques on your work, chances are good you’ve heard the following feedback: “I just wasn’t grabbed by this scene/chapter/story. Nothing happened.” If your goal is to write a commercial book where everyone says “I read it in one sitting and I couldn’t put it… Continue reading “Nothing Happens In This Scene:” Brief Thoughts On Pacing and Context
Today we’re spotlighting our three Asian Writer’s Block Party contributors! Let’s give it up for Akshaya, Kat, and Axie!! QUESTION 1: What has it been like incorporating your Asian identities into your books? What’s your personal philosophy when it comes to being true to your identity in your writing? AKSHAYA: I think for me, writing… Continue reading APAHM Spotlight: Writer’s Block Party!
I am so excited to interview our next author to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month! This really means a lot to me because Sarah Suk was one of my first ever mentees! I absolutely fell in love with her sweet and fun writing style and I’m so excited to talk to her about her debut Young… Continue reading APAHM Spotlight: SARAH SUK
We’re so excited to have Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanua for this week’s Author Spotlight to celebrate Asian (American) Pacific Islander Heritage Month! I put *American* because Sarena and Sasha are Canadian and this month is for celebrating all API diaspora writers! SISTERS OF THE SNAKE is out on June 15th and you can find… Continue reading AAPIHM Spotlight: Sarena and Sasha Nanua
We’re so excited to have June Hur for today’s Author Spotlight to celebrate Asian Pacific (American) Heritage Month! I put *American* because June is Canadian and this month is for celebrating all API diaspora writers! June’s second novel, The Forest of Stolen Girls, is out now! Axie: Hi June! Can you give us a quick… Continue reading APAHM Spotlight: JUNE HUR
When I first approached the topic of this post, I was deeply intimidated. There is no facet of creative writing that could render me more self-conscious, that I devote half so much mental and emotional energy to, than prose. Every writer, published or not, has started reading a book and immediately thought “Oh no. This… Continue reading How to develop your personal prose style
The End. Small words, three letters each. But when you put them together, wow are they big. The conclusion, the finale, the denouement. Powerful, shocking, bittersweet, heartwarming. An ending can be so many things. I’m not going to say the ending is the absolute most important part of a story; beginnings are important, too, because… Continue reading Why I Love Endings (And Also Hate Them)
