Once, when I was at a conference, I heard an author say the first hundred pages of a book teach you how to read that book. I love that so much, but the sad truth is, sometimes a reader won’t wait around for a 100 pages. And especially in YA fantasy, where things generally tend… Continue reading Info Dumping Isn’t Always Bad
A while ago I was talking to a friend about pop culture pet peeves–those things that really bother us when we’re watching or reading something. And when she asked me what mine was, my answer was immediate: poison. Specifically when someone eats or drinks a poisonous item and collapses 3 seconds later. And today I’m… Continue reading The Physiology of Poison
In A World… is a series of posts about world building, where our contributors share strategies and tips for creating well-rounded worlds. When I was in college, I had an internship where I was a mentor for international students. Before I (or any of the other mentors) was allowed to work with those international students,… Continue reading In A World…: Intercultural Communication
This post is co-written by Akshaya and Mara. Writing a novel takes a long time. You spend months, even years, wrestling with an idea you love. You slog through revision after revision after revision, because publishing is a difficult game that demands nothing less than your best. You work so hard, for so long, with… Continue reading The World Isn’t Wide Enough For My Book (Or Is It?)
We’re so excited to welcome the delightful Tara Sim, author of TIMEKEEPER and the upcoming CHAINBREAKER, to the blog today! If you had your heart broken by TIMEKEEPER (let’s be honest, if you read it, you probably did) prepare for even more emotional destruction with CHAINBREAKER. Keep reading to find out how to win a… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Tara Sim
As readers, we often say we’ll follow an interesting character anywhere. But in a book with multiple points of view, you have to make sure your readers are ready to follow not one, but several different characters. That’s a big ask, so each character really needs to prove that they’re worth following. And that all… Continue reading Crafting First Chapters For Books With Multiple POVs
We’re so excited to have one of our favorite people on the blog today–Julie C. Dao! So, story time! Julie and I actually met during Camp NaNo two years ago when were both invited to join the same cabin by a mutual friend. At the time, Julie was working on this book that sounded super… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Julie C. Dao
