Alex.J.Cobalt

Reading is as important to be a good writer as it is to practice writing. You can see how other stories are constructed and written, how they’ve dealt with the same plot pains you have, how they’ve created tension and pacing.

Reading also allows you to be a reader again, just a reader enjoying a story. In the midst of writing and editing, you need to see stories from the reader’s perspective. The person who doesn’t see the pain and the edits and the old drafts, just the finished story that they love.

#Mondayinspiration is a chance for me to share my own motivational post it notes with the writing world at large. In the hope, maybe that someone else finds it as helpful as I do!

• I can do this (Monday Inspiration)
  Remind yourself: I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. If you don’t believe in yourself then who will? So repeat after me: I can do this.
• Slow and Steady
  The last two months of writing have been… slow, to say the least. It’s been a tough section to try and get through in the book, mostly around trying to get three key … More Slow and Steady
• The Basics of a Fantasy Story
  The fantasy genre may be a vast, magical landscape, but there are always three core areas of any fantasy story that are key – worldbuilding, magic systems, and themes. If you’ve always wanted … More The Basics of a Fantasy Story
• How To: Endings
  Endings of a story have a special place in my writerly heart. Finding the right ending to a story, especially a longer project that I’ve been working on for a while, is a … More How To: Endings
• Try again Today (Monday Inspiration)
  It’s not about winning, it’s about trying. It’s showing up, even though the last writing session knocked you back. Or the last rejection made you cry. It’s about standing up, dusting yourself off … More Try again Today (Monday Inspiration)
• Quarantine (From the Archives)
  Day 45. Day 45 started much the same as Day 44 and Day 43. Both boring days, with no interlude aside from when the food was un-ceremoniously shoved through the access slot next … More Quarantine (From the Archives)