Writing the first draft of any novel is a balancing act of creativity, drive, and forgiveness. You need the creative spirit to imagine your characters coming together; the drive to commit words to paper (or Google Docs); the forgiveness to accept that the first words to be written are not perfect. So what is an …
Every genre has defining features. Romance novels have two points of view (POVs) for each love interest. Young adult novels have a 14-17-year-old protagonist. I’ve discussed earlier how POVs have genre norms as well (read here!) but genres also have word count norms! Your word count is more definitive for the length of your book …
Are you ready for the fun part? If you’ve been following along with the #Publish2022 method, your outline should be looking organized and ready to go! (If you’re new to #P22, click the link here to learn more!) If you’re outline is not ready to go, DON’T PANIC! Stick around and read my tip at …
Plot holes are a gap or inconsistency that goes against the logic established in your story. The key part of that definition is the latter half: “the logic established in your story.”If all characters can fly, and that “fact” of your world is established, it isn’t a plot hole when one of the characters flies …
The purpose of your outline is to tell you WHAT to write, WHEN to write it, and WHY it is essential to your story. So if your outline isn’t organized in a way that makes sense to YOU, it’s pretty much useless. Outlines are personal and what works for me might not work for you. …
Magic, the bedrock of so many fantastical stories, is whatever you make of it. Magic, by nature of its very being, is totally unique to each author and each story because magic is the individual brainchild of every author. However, magic still has to make sense in your story. That is what a magic system …
The plot is set. The characters are developed. You’re almost ready to write. Now you need to choose the point of view (POV) of your novel. Choosing your novel’s POV is incredibly important. Your novel’s POV changes the story dramatically. If you write in first person, which character is the narrator? Is it the protagonist …
So you decided to write a fantasy novel—you have a planet to create, a society to build, and maybe even a language to invent. And you’ve come to the best and worst part of world-building: you need to name your fantasy world! The key element to keep in mind when naming everything in your fantasy …
Stories aren’t just plot points, they are characters. Characters carry the story and the readers through the twist and turns of your plot. Creating dynamic characters is the difference between readers reading your story versus caring about your story. Character development is building these unique characters and their character arc for your story. A character …
Consider this your one-stop shop for all things WORLD BUILDING! I’ve created a world building template as well as a list of world building questions to ask yourself when creating your fantasy world. First: Is world building necessary for your story? Short Answer: Yes. Yes, regardless of your story being set in contemporary society or …