First drafts are fickle creatures. They are hastily thrown together (especially if you are a “gardener” writer like myself) and need work to form the story that you see in your mind’s eye. Editing your first draft can feel like climbing a mountain without a guidebook – there is simply so much to fix, and … More Editing a First Draft – Top Tips
This month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I’m talking about warm up exercises for your writing craft, why they’re important and a few ideas for you to use! Like any craft, you need to practice your writing muscles outside of your core projects, and that’s where little warm ups can come into help! Not … More Travelling around your world – Writing on Caffeine
This month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I’m looking at worldbuilding, and the topic of conversation is how your characters travel around your world. How people travel can be intrinsic to how large or small the world they experience is – if everyone travels on foot, then journeys of a few hundred miles will … More Travelling around your world – Writing on Caffeine
Food and drink is a vital part of any society. What we eat and drink depends on the land around us, the trade we have with other countries (or lack of), access to certain ingredients and cooking tools. If we have food from a street vendor or food from a five start Michelin restaurant, then … More How to write food and drink into your fantasy world
This month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I’m looking at how to introduce your characters to your reader. Let’s think about what is your elevator pitch for your character, and what scenes you’re using to introduce them. After all, the introduction is setting the stage for the rest of your story, as well as … More Introducing your Characters – Writing on Caffeine
When I talk about a minor character, I’m talking about those characters who doesn’t really have a purpose beyond adding colour to a particular Point of View character’s story. Perhaps it’s the person serving coffee to our Main Character in the morning, or a fleeting mention of someone they once met. So, if our minor … More Using Minor Characters in your Writing
This month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I’m talking about what your characters will wear during your story. Clothing might seem a throw-away point for your characters, but it can tell the reader both a lot about your characters, and the world they live in as well. Check your inboxes for the latest edition! … More Creating a world through Clothes – Writing on Caffeine
For me, a Sub-Plot is anything that takes the characters away from the main thread of the story on a merry little jaunt of their own, and then weaves its way back towards the main thread. They’re the plots that as a Gardener writer, there is a pause between coming up with the idea and … More Using Sub-Plots in your Fantasy Story
This month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I want to talk about taking a break. We are bombarded with so many messages of go go go, that I wanted to focus on the skill of… not doing anything at all. Especially in the run up to Nanowrimo, it’s important to take a breath, a … More How to take a break – Writing on Caffeine
Don’t forget that this month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I’m looking at how to plan your project – when to do it, why it’s important and some top tips for your own writing practice!. Are you ready to learn some more tricks for your own writing? Then subscribe via the button below so … More Tips for Planning your Project – Writing on Caffeine
Alex.J.Cobalt 