Tag Archive: writing-tips
Start With a Human, Let the World Build Itself
I know a lot of people who love to world-build, and that’s awesome. Some of them can get so far in-depth with their created world that they struggle to start a story. There’s just so much depth in the world that it almost holds this untouchability. But for me, while I love world-building, I’d rather over-create a character.
Or, Start With a World
In my last article I explained how I usually start with a character and then move toward the world. But I don’t always follow that to the letter. Sometimes you have a world in need of a character. This is how I personally handle that setup.
It’s Okay To Write Strange Characters
This is my second time watching the Doomsday Preppers series. There’s a whole lot that I could say about it, but the one thing that stands out is how completely blind we are to our own biases and oddities.
Make Your Characters Thirsty
Have you ever had one of those days? I’m fairly sure everyone has. Either that or I’m just completely weird.Anyway, it’s something that I’ve never seen in a story.“How on Earth is this relevant?”, you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you.
Sometimes You Don’t Need a Reason
I don’t know about you, but my life is pretty random. One moment I’m at my desk writing something, the next I’m being attacked by a Husky who wants my attention. Or a 4 year old.
Character Design: Writing Consistent Characters
One of my biggest pet-peeves in stories is the use of a character to drive the plot the wrong way. You’ll notice it from time to time, if you’re watching for it. It goes like this: an author writes a character one way for the majority of the plot, then, they just change that character. It throws the character under the bus.
Metaphor: Seasons and Weather
One of the first metaphors I ever learned was that of weather and climate. I think it’s that way for a lot of people because of how readily available the comparison is.
Similarity in Writing. Or, “How Close is Too Close?”
In a previous article, I encroached on the concept of encroaching on someone else’s story. (That last bit about the cave and the coin.) And I thought it might be worth a followup about the theme of similarity.
Creating or Using Existing Creatures
One of my favorite things about writing Fantasy stories is creature design. So, I thought I’d put together a few writing tips about, well, designing creatures.
