Fantasy Worldbuilding Part 3: Links, Posts, and Resources

I realize that there are many worldbuilding concepts and approaches, as it is a complex art in and of itself. In Part 1, I talked about why worldbuilding is important and how it contributes to the story as a whole, and in Part 2 I brought up aspects of worldbuilding that I personally feel are important to include when developing one’s story world. But if I were to touch on all the possible ways to incorporate worldbuilding into a story, and all the elements you could possibly consider, my post series could be neverending. I am also no expert when it comes to writing, as writing is an art that is constantly being perfected; there’s no such thing as a perfect story. All that to say, I’m most certainly not a worldbuilding master, but there are plenty of other writers who have great tips and inspiration that I highly recommend. Part 3, the last post in the series, features only a few great posts with worldbuilding tips that focus on certain aspects. Also, this has been a great excuse to include links to some of my favorite authors and bloggers.

Fantasy Worldbuilding Part 1: Why Worldbuilding is Important

Worldbuilding seems to be either every writer’s bane or boon. Its importance is often underestimated and incorporation of it into a story is sometimes completely abandoned. Yet worldbuilding needs just as much development as your plot and characters do––your story and the people in your story constantly engage with the setting.

NaNoWriMo Tips + Fun Facts about my NaNo2018 Novel

It’s that time of year. Halloween is in the past, pumpkins are out, temperatures are dropping, people are hopefully getting their pumpkin-spice-chai-lattes from somewhere other than Starbucks. And writers around the world are halfway through the event in which they challenge themselves to write an entire novel in 30 days.

For many of us, NaNoWriMo is an exciting, challenging time of year, and for good reason. Yet we often dread it too, because what if we didn’t prepare enough? What if we fail to write 1667 words per day? What if we encounter writer’s block, which is a myth but is still apparently a thing? Let me say this: Even if you haven’t prepared at all, winning NaNoWriMo iS POSSIBLE! As I write this post, I am behind on my word count (hooray for productive procrastination). The point is, failing NaNoWriMo can and does happen. It happened to me last year because even though I knew my novel (Netherworld) inside and out, I simply wasn’t committed or motivated or excited to follow through the whole month. (Which is why I’m making up this year.)

For those of you who are struggling with NaNoWriMo right now––and even for those of you are way ahead and are doing just fine (KEEP IT UP!!)––I have some tips that might give you some good ideas about how to persevere through NaNo without giving into the stress. I’ll also be sharing a little bit about my NaNo novel Fiction’s Lie just for kicks!

8 Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Writers

Some of you might be wondering why I’ve decided to write a post for writers on how to stay healthy. I realize that nearly everyone knows basic guidelines for staying healthy (it’s mostly just a matter of ignoring temptation), so why can’t writers just do the same thing? Glad you asked! I am armed and ready with an answer to this question.

If you’re a writer, or know writers, you’ll understand that such a life is very sedentary. We read, write, edit, brainstorm, and do everything else writing related while sitting down and/or hunched over a notebook or screen. This is because everything we do writing related, whether getting inspiration or actually doing the art, either comes from or goes on a piece of paper or a blank document. To sum it up, writing is definitely not an active activity, if you haven’t already noticed.

Writing Description Part Two: Tips on Writing Description

Blogger problem #297: Scheduling a post for the 28th, thinking it was a Tuesday and then having it post on the 28th which I set it for: Monday! So here’s the post again on Tuesday. I’m a new blogger, still learning, so I’m sorry for you who are getting post emails, you’ve got another one! And, I must say, this is better than the one that came flying in your inbox without my known authority. So … moving on to the actual post.

Two weeks ago I started a series on writing description. The first was about the pros and cons of description and last week’s post was on the difference between classics and modern bestsellers regarding description. Today’s post is tips on when, where, and how to use description in your story. Used right, it has changed the way I read, write, feel, see, and even think of the world, and hopefully that is the same for you.

Writing Description Introduction: The Pros and Cons of Description

Well, I haven’t done too many posts on writing, so a few weeks ago I decided to write up a post on description in fiction. … A post? More like three. The whole subject on description in writing is huge. There’s so much to talk about and so much different aspects to cover. This blog post series might end up like a bunch of writing research essays on my part, but it’ll be useful information and hopefully helpful for those of you who write.

Writing Tips: Naming Your Characters – A Guest Post by Hannah Heath

Hannah Heath is a writer, reader, blogger, and a great friend of mine, and I have the privilege of having her write a guest post for this blog! She’s an expert at writing and this post will be her take on naming characters for stories. Her blog is Hannah Heath – Writer, so don’t forget to check it out! In fact, clicking on the link to her blog is mandatory. If you’re not even a writer or need help with names, this girl has great humor, so none of you want to miss this. Onwards!

Word nerd: a person infatuated with the written word, including, but not limited to, books, grammar, dictionaries, pronunciation guides, and foreign languages.

Writing Tips: Multiple Storylines

Yup, you read the title right: Multiple storylines. But who, you ask, likes storylines enough to write more than one? 

I, for one, have always hated writing storylines. If I was going to write, I was going to write my story, not a storyline; I could figure it out myself. Unfortunately, I stuck with that belief for a loooong time, which is exactly why none of my stories ever got finished. I am the type of person who has very distracted and unorganized thoughts and hundreds of little plots … and who knew I’d be writing more than one storyline one day (and not going crazy)?