I have already written a post about how to write dynamic character arcs, but what that post doesn’t address is how to construct these arcs over the course of a series. Usually when we think about character arcs, we think about them within the confines of a single book–the characters starts out with an inner… Continue reading Character Arcs Over Series
We (Kat and Katy) love middles. But not everyone does. So we got together to write about why we love them and what we think makes them shine. As well as some advice for how to keep your middles interesting! What is the middle of a story? It should be easy to identify the middle… Continue reading Why we love writing “the middle” of stories
We’ve written about pacing before and specifically pacing with multiple POV books, but today we wanted to talk about something a little different though it goes in hand with pacing: tension. This post is cowritten with Ashley Burdin. What is tension anyway? There’s an interview between Francois Truffaut and Alfred Hitchcock that we love where… Continue reading Building Tension in Stories
Hey, we’re back with another WBP survey, the first of which was on average chapter lengths, which you can check out: here. We want to do more of these, so definitely let us know in the comments if there is a question on craft or publishing that you’d like the writers of WBP to answer!… Continue reading WBP Survey: How do you approach notes after first receiving them from CPs, agents, and/or editors?
Friend and fellow WBP contributor Akshaya Raman has been lightly badgering me about writing a post on character, because apparently as much as I talk about how and why character is the most important part of any aspect of story, it seems I have not actually written a post about this! Yes, I have written… Continue reading Building Dynamic Character Arcs
If you’re looking for some homework, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to get to work today! So we talk a lot about craft but if we’re the pencil, we need the sharpener for the desired outcome to take place. So let’s get the sharpener, shall we? Before We Begin You decide what… Continue reading Reading Critically As A Writer
I know my first drafts are messy. As hard as it can be to accept, I know that no matter how much time I spend brainstorming or outlining, until I have that draft written, I don’t fully know how the story is going to turn out or how to fix it. But writing that first… Continue reading Writing A First Draft After Revising Forever
I’m pinching myself that I get to write this post. Why? Because the idea of writing in multiple age categories still feels so new to me. Being an author has been my dream my entire life, but for a very, very long time, I only ever imagined myself as a YA author. The idea of writing anything… Continue reading Writing in Multiple Age Categories: The Why, the How, and the Fun
This post is brought to you by Kat, who when I asked what I should write for my turn on the blog this week, answered with: SETTING. In preparing for this post, I re-read our Roundtable #7, where Foody, Melody, Akshaya and I talk settings, so definitely check that out if you haven’t already. Between… Continue reading 7 Tips on Writing Settings
In A World… is a series of posts about world building, where our contributors share strategies and tips for creating well-rounded worlds. World building is hard. Fantasy or contemporary, with multiple points of view or one, it’s not an easy task. Just check out the many other posts that are part of the “In A World..”… Continue reading In A World…: World Building in First Person
