Don’t forget to read widely. Stories you like, stories you hate, stories like your own project, stories completely different to your own project. To write, you have to read. Keep reading.
This month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I’m talking about worldbuilding, particularly magic systems. Taking some of the advice from Brandon Sanderson (of whom I am a huge fan!), I’ll take you through some key points in how to build a magic system, and what to take into consideration for your wider worldbuilding. Want … More Writing on Caffeine – February Edition
Magic systems. Any good fantasy (in my opinion), needs a magic system. I love worlds with intriguing magic, and the ability to throw in a good few battle magic scenes. A good magic system, used well, can make a story stand out in the crowd of other books. Especially those with magic systems that are … More How To: Creating Magic Systems
January, for me, is always a month of working out what I want to do. Figuring out what I want to set as my goals for the new year, working out what I want to do better last year, and setting my goals far too high. January has been an exciting month, as much as … More Let’s Do This
This month in my newsletter, Writing on Caffeine, I’m talking about Main Characters. You know, the ones we pick to tell our story, then they grow whole personalities and take the plot careering off track? Yeh, those ones. I’m talking about how to pick your cast – not in terms of number but what purpose … More Writing on Caffeine – January Edition
I’ve previously written about choosing a POV for your story, and how many POVs you want to use in your story. This month, as my first topic for my new newsletter, I’m picking a key topic for any writing project: who is my main character? You can have more than 1 main character, and I … More How To: Choosing Main Characters
New Year. New Chances. New opportunities await you. Look for them. Seize them. Reap the rewards.
Goals are there to push you and challenge you. They are there to give you something to work towards over a long period of time, give you focus in times of distraction. Goals, however, are not a stick. They are not there to show failure, or to show missed deadlines. Can’t meet your goal you … More Adjust your Goals (Monday Inspiration)
Each draft you create is something new. You’re having to take your time, you see, uncovering new facets of your story from deep within your bones.Your thoughts are like the sea etching away at a clifftop. It might take many years until your sculpture is complete.But, in the end, your draft will be beautiful.
Question why is the world the way it is? Reflect it, consider it, use it. Questions asking why mean your story starts to grow a life of it’s own. Take on new depth and meaning. So when you are stuck on a scene, or a character, or a word. Ask why.
