You want to write, but it seems as if the universe is conspiring against you. I've been there and so have countless novice and establish writers. With that thing called life in the way, sometimes it's hard to get in some quality writing time. Here's the truth, it's never going to come to you. If you want to be a writer, then it's up to you to make the time ply your craft. While there are many ways to accomplish [...]
photo credit: ~Duncan~ Unless you're a natural at it, creating a living, breathing, believable character for your story can seem daunting. Are her eyes gray or blue? Should he walk tall or have a limp? Is she levelheaded or quick to lose her cool? There are so many aspects to creating a character. By following this step-by-step formula, you can soon have your character ready to leap off the page. In a short story, which in practice is normally 1,000 [...]
Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved to write. Nothing was as freeing as sitting down and weaving a tale. The feeling of complete control was exhilarating. It still is. It did not matter if I was writing a long story, or a short one, the feeling was the same. One of my favorite fiction types was, and is, flash fiction. But what is flash fiction? Depends on who you ask. Some feel a story is [...]
Writing and editing are two different processes. Writing requires creativity; editing requires analysis. The writing process should be free and experimental; the editing process should be systematic and critical. Because of these differences, making a conscious shift in your thinking will make the self-editing process easier and more effective. One of the best ways to accomplish this is taking time away from the project. For example, I used to write in the morning and then edit in the afternoon. [...]
Character is the single most important aspect of a story, because if you have compelling characters, you can get away with numerous mistakes elsewhere in your writing. All aspiring writers must know the secrets of characterization in order to make their fiction salable. When you're writing a story, you'll usually have some idea of how a character fits in, even before you create him. On the other hand, creating a character produces story ideas, because character and story interrelate. [...]