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
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
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)
We did it, we survived 2020! So, let’s try to start 2021 with some positivity, new connections, and writing! The best way to be a good writer is to…well it’s to write. Second best way (that we know of) is to make new connections/writer friends! We all met up through various Critique Partner (CP) match-up posts like the one… Continue reading Critique Partner Match Up 2021!
This is a guest post written by Shveta Thakrar The Debut Author Survival Guide is a series that explains everything that happens between selling your book to publication day in an attempt to demystify the process of publishing your first novel (through a traditional publishing lens). Go HERE to see the rest of the series!… Continue reading Debut Author Survival Guide #3: Copy Edits
The Debut Author Survival Guide is a series that explains everything that happens between selling your book to publication day in an attempt to demystify the process of publishing your first novel (through a traditional publishing lens). Go HERE to see the rest of the series! Ah, deadlines. Loathe them, love them, fear them, need them–once you… Continue reading Debut Author Survival Guide #2: Deadlines
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
Writing a sequel is hard for many reasons. It is often the first book written under contract. There is a responsibility to build up the world and characters that readers have come to love and enjoy. And sometimes the first book has changed, which changes what a writer had originally planned for book 2! But… Continue reading Roundtable #16: Writing the Sequel
Let’s talk “quiet scenes.” What are they? How do you utilize them? How do you make sure they’re just as dynamic as scenes with lots of action? Come along as we discuss this roundtable style! Note: This post is done in a roundtable style where members of Writer’s Block Party discuss a topic together. QUESTION… Continue reading Roundtable #13: Quiet Scenes
This post is co-written by Ashley and guest writer, Janella Angeles, author of the forthcoming WHERE DREAMS DESCEND. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that writing is rewriting—but let’s not forget the other undeniable truth that follows: revising is also re-revising. Admittedly, some unicorns have the gift of being smooth, fast revisers and we HATE them (just… Continue reading When Revising is Revising is Revising…
Writer's Block Party 