First Draft – Focus on what excites you about your story (If you’re bored writing it, I don’t want to read it.)

Brandon Sanderson has many excellent YouTube videos about writing fiction. In a 2020 class, he states: "In your writing, focus on what excites you about the story, and get the story done. Then go back and fill in what needs to be there." Of course, every writer is different. You have to do what works … Continue reading First Draft – Focus on what excites you about your story (If you’re bored writing it, I don’t want to read it.) →

The Universal Story

Are you working on a novel and need help with story structure? If so, I recommend THE PLOT WHISPERER by Martha Alderson. In chapter 2, there's an overview of the "Universal Story." Alderson writes: "Tap into the Universal Story and better direct the flow of your story to connect with your reader on a deep … Continue reading The Universal Story →

Books, Toys, and Writing

Books, toys, and writing belong together. The correlation between books and writing is obvious, but what about toys? As a kid, the first stories I created were from playing with toys. I made up dialogue between characters, gave them a problem to overcome, and while playing with siblings I tried extra hard to put comedy … Continue reading Books, Toys, and Writing →

Dialogue Tags

Dialogue is what a character says in your story. A dialogue tag is a short phrase that goes along with a line of dialogue that lets the reader know which character is speaking. For example: "Let's go to a movie," said Jennifer. DIALOGUE: "Let's go to a movie," DIALOGUE TAG: said Jennifer. Easy enough, right? … Continue reading Dialogue Tags →

Children’s Writer’s & Illustrators Market

Would you like to become a children's book author or illustrator? If so, you should be aware of this guide: The cover does a good job selling it. It gives you the following information about publishers and magazines: *which publishers are open to submissions without agent representation (and those who are not) *submission guidelines *what … Continue reading Children’s Writer’s & Illustrators Market →

What should be in the first sentence of your novel?

Newbery-winning author Richard Peck said, "You are only as good as your first sentence." That sounds a bit harsh. Is it fair for someone to judge your entire story from only one sentence? Maybe not, but it happens all the time. Think about people browsing in a book shop, trying to decide which one to … Continue reading What should be in the first sentence of your novel? →

What should be on the first page of your novel?

At a writing conference I attended, editor Alyson Heller spoke on this topic. Here are some things she looks for in the beginning of a novel: *Not bogged down with info-dumping *There needs to be emotion right away *Needs to see why the character is feeling the emotion *Have a sense of the character right … Continue reading What should be on the first page of your novel? →

Strong Verbs

Let's pretend you're writing a ToyDust fan-fiction. Because let's be honest. Who wouldn't want to write a fan-fic about me? (insert sarcasm) And let's further pretend you had written something like: "ToyDust walked excitedly out of Dallas Vintage Toys, thrilled with his purchase." Is there anything wrong with the way this is written? It's a … Continue reading Strong Verbs →