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Stories need conflict, and when that conflict comes in the form of physical violence, it’s time for a fight scene. A well-written fight – whether it’s a fist-to-fist boxing match or a squadron of ace pilots clashing in the stratosphere – can be the highlight of … read more »
In many stories, we have male heroes who go on their adventures and while they travel have several sexual encounters, loveless sex, and being generally free when it comes to sexuality. I think it can be used well and serve the characterization, but the problem … read more »
I’m writing a story in first person, set in a world that has technology similar to ours, but also demons and magic (no masquerade). Magic is extremely limited in its use (which explains the need for tech), but is necessary to keep demons at bay. … read more »
This post-apocalyptic YA novel by James Dashner spawned not only bestselling sequels but also a movie series. A bad movie series, I hear, but they star Dylan O’Brien (aka Styles), so how bad could they be? I think the cover art is gorgeous, but I’m … read more »
For a lot of people, “adverbs” mean all those pesky words ending in “-ly” that tell rather than show, but it turns out there’s more. A lot more. Would you believe it if we told you that a huge junk of our words are in fact adverbs, maybe even a majority of them? Read more »
When we do a content edit, we focus on the big-picture stuff first. There’s no point in nitpicking small things that might be rewritten anyway. However, we do run into lots of problems at the wordcraft level. To help everyone improve their prose, let’s go … read more »
How can I write sex scenes where the woman enjoys herself without seeming sexist? – Anon Read more »
Since we’re lucky enough to have Ariel in the studio once again, we’ve decided to take a deep dive into common wordcraft mistakes. There’s no plot or character analysis here, just the words and punctuation on the page. Mostly, it’s how those words and punctuation … read more »
Gender is a complex thing, and writing a character whose gender is different than yours can seem a daunting task. This is especially true for writing a gender less privileged than yours. Don’t worry, we’re here with sage advice. This week, we discuss how to … read more »
It can be challenging to tell readers everything they need to know through a character’s point of view, so why not ditch that confinement and use a narrator who knows everything? That’s called omniscient narration, and it’s what we’re talking about today. Joined by returning … read more »