This one is for all of the outliners out there! As well as those curious to start and those interested in expanding on their current outlines. Outlines come in all shapes and sizes, so this is by no means a one size fits all approach. We’re just going to walk through some things to consider… Continue reading On Outlining
Hi WBPers (have we decided this is the name we’re calling everyone? If you have any suggestions then comment down below!) You might have noticed we haven’t posted in the last month. That’s a good news, bad news situation. Good news is that a bunch of the WBP members have gotten really busy working on… Continue reading Hiatus until the New Year + Writing Advice links!
Most of us know the saying (or some version of it) that writing is rewriting. First drafts are supposed to suck–they are a thing you have to white-knuckle your way through, like middle school and dentist appointments and family holiday dinners. Just get to the end, don’t look back, you can’t fix a blank page,… Continue reading Re:writing
This past week I’ve been thinking a lot about starting new projects. For the first time in a while, I have the opportunity to work on an entirely new project. At first, I was excited – I finally have time for all those cool ideas and concepts that were clamoring for my attention while I… Continue reading Pre-NaNoWriMo: Starting a New Project
This post is co-written by Akshaya and Mara. We all know what separates fantasy from every other genre—magic systems! And not just any old magic systems! No, these must be cool, unique, complicated, fully explained, excruciatingly detailed, never-been-seen-before-by-anyone, never-even-conceived-of-until-you-put-it-to-the-page, constantly-blowing-everyone’s-mind-with-their-uniqueness magic systems! Or…maybe not. Maybe it’s just that, as fantasy writers, that’s sometimes what we… Continue reading Magic Systems: When It Feels Like It’s All Been Done Before
When talking about filling the creative well, there’s usually something missing in the conversation, in particular when it comes to writing for the YA audience. I fear that in our quest to catch up on the books that we’ve been highly anticipating and stay on top of new releases from the novelists who inspire us… Continue reading Filling the Creative Well
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
How to Liven Up Dull Scenes I think we’ve all had the experience during drafting where you get to a scene that you just don’t. want. to write. You know the scene needs to be written to move your plot along, but you just can’t seem to muster the enthusiasm to write it. (And granted,… Continue reading How to Liven Up Boring Scenes
Story time! Last winter, I got the green light to write a sequel/companion novel to REBEL SEOUL. One problem: I had no plot! I had characters & concept, with several scenes that I was super excited to write, but I was missing all those elements pivotal to plot structure: an inciting incident, stakes/motivation, subplots, escalating… Continue reading Writing a Synopsis Before Drafting
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
Writer's Block Party 