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There are three elements that make up every story: people, problems, and places. To form a good story, those elements need to be in balance, because each one affects the others. That’s why you need to put as much effort…
Are you planning to write a book in 2020? Want some writing inspiration and wisdom from authors who have written dozens or even hundreds of stories and books? Check out my list of the five most inspiring books about writing…
What makes a villain fascinating? It’s not just about scaring the pants off the reader. The most terrifying thing a villain can do in a story isn’t killing the hero or blowing up the world — it’s making their twisted…
True story: When I was 17, I met an African storyteller. He traveled to distant parts of the world, collecting oral stories and writing them down for posterity. He was my first real-life writing teacher. His feedback helped me get…
How do writers create fascinating monsters? For me, it’s a many-layered process that involves thinking about where a monster came from, what it’s after, how it thinks, and what happens when it encounters the heroes. I actually got the chance…
Before I became a published author, I used to carry around a writing notebook in my back pocket. You know the kind I’m talking about: the little black book that tells the world you’re a Serious Writer. But that little…
The best writing podcasts dig deep into the writing process and make you think. That’s why it’s always interesting talking to fellow Colorado author Mark Stevens on the official podcast for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Not only is Mark…
There will be more than 100 science-fiction, fantasy, and horror authors and artists giving talks, signing books . . . cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria. Join in the fun! I’ll be on these panels: Hidden Depths: Characters with…
The wait is over! Forever and a Doomsday releases today (yay!) and the reviews are already pouring in. Here’s an absolutely fabulous recap of the entire series (that doesn’t give away any spoilers) from Fan Girl Nation: Mixing together the…
I’ve talked to dozens of best-selling authors about their early years, before they were published. And the similarities between them are striking. On average, they wrote about half a dozen unpublished manuscripts before they sold a novel. (By the way, this is what I call the Myth of the First Novel. Because it’s hardly ever…
I’ll let you in on a secret: readers want your character to change. They know, deep down, that your character is unhappy with the status quo at the beginning of your book. Something is terribly wrong in your character’s life, and things can’t keep going on this way. Something’s got to give. Readers fervently hope…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 