The Writing Lab

Creating imaginary worlds filled with whatever weirdness your thinking noodle cooks up is, at it’s root (if you’re doing it correctly) fun. Sure, sometimes it’s hard forcing yourself into the chair to put words to paper, but once you’re in the flow and ideas start plopping out of your word-hole, the act of writing becomes a…

Every great journey begins with a single step forward. Where your story is concerned, that first step is absolutely, without question, the most important one. Doesn’t matter how fantastic the rest of the book is, if the first few sentences don’t compel the reader into the next paragraph, and that paragraph doesn’t force them to…

Details are a storytelling spice. If done correctly, they add to the complex flavors of your already scrumptious story. If done incorrectly, well… I’m sure we’ve all accidentally added a bit too much sea-salt to the guacamole at one time or another and can remember how that bastardized concocti– Ah, crap! Getting a parking ticket as we…

Worldbuilding is hard. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult aspects of good storytelling. So many pitfalls, so many opportunities to wander off into that scary word-forest only to come back out the other side covered in ticks, mud, and other smelly sorts of dreck. Then again, worldbuilding is one of the most rewarding…

About a month or two ago I asked you all for some topical ointment suggestions. Ointment? Really? That doesn’t seem right. *checks notes* Oh, I meant some topical blogging suggestions. (<– that was about as forced as a joke can possibly get. Please forgive me.) On the whole, the ideas thrown out were more diverse…

You all gave me some fantastic blogging ideas in the last post and I’m excited like a Kindergartner on the third day of school (once he’s gotten over his crippling fear of being away from Mommy, that is) to get to those topics. To give you all a glimpse of what is on the horizon…

A lot goes into writing a good story, unless somehow you’ve made BFF’s with a Muse. If that’s the case you don’t need me, and you should go frolicking through fields of daisies, jerk. For the rest of us, there are a lot of aspects of good storytelling that require conscious attention. These range from having good…

I was having a conversation with Ana, a fellow reviewer with a blog HERE! about the nature of reviewing. Recently I’ve been getting a blush worthy amount of attention for my reviews, which is fantastic, but as I was telling my lady-friend, Katherine, I never set out to be a reviewer. The intention behind this blog…

Bettering Your Editing (Writing Workshop)

Writing Beginnings That Don’t Suck (Writing Workshop)

Details Matter (The Writing Lab)

Writing Workshop: Worldbuilding (Avoiding The Dump)

Writing Workshop: Pre-Planning Your Book

Writing Workshop: First Drafts Stop For No Woman!

Writing Workshop: Pacing Your Story!

Reviewing Made Easy!