Here we go again! (nanowrimo time!!!)

I'm typing up this post in a hurry because I realized NaNoWriMo starts in seven hours (from my time zone), and I haven't said ANYTHING about it on my blog yet! Usually I have some writing tips I compile beforehand, but for some reason, that task escaped me this month, so we're just now getting … Continue reading Here we go again! (nanowrimo time!!!)

Tips for Designing Your Book Cover (on a Budget)

Hello, friends! I've been doing a lot of cover design lately, so I thought it would be nice to share some tips with you. If you're like me (a college kid with very little money to spare), you don't have the finances to hire a professional to make you an awesome book cover. So you … Continue reading Tips for Designing Your Book Cover (on a Budget)

4 ½ Ways to Survive NaNoWriMo as a College Student

Co-written by me and my newest MC Happy November, everyone! Seeing as I'm clearly qualified to write this post, I thought I'd share four and a half expert tips on how to survive NaNoWriMo as a college student. First off, I'd like to say I'm sorry for not updating this blog in, well... months. Adjusting … Continue reading 4 ½ Ways to Survive NaNoWriMo as a College Student

Camp NaNoWriMo Questions: Plotting vs. Pantsing

It's the age-old debate. Plotters form one side of it and pantsers form the other. The two groups of writers have gathered to hold a debate to decide which method of writing is better. There's a twist, though: the plotters have all of their arguments carefully planned, written, organized, and well-rehearsed. The pantsers haven't prepared … Continue reading Camp NaNoWriMo Questions: Plotting vs. Pantsing

3 Tips for Showing Character Emotion

Ah, character emotion. It's one of the hardest things to write right. It's also one of the most important. You can have a deep, complex character, a compelling, well-crafted plot, and the setting descriptions nailed down to the tiniest details. But if you can't write character emotion in a compelling way, your book will be … Continue reading 3 Tips for Showing Character Emotion

The Sequel Game

Hi, everyone!! NaNoWriMo's halfway over, it's less than a week till Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations are popping up all over the place. (Like, why? I'm a HUGE fan of Christmas, but I draw the line at getting a tree before Thanksgiving.) At the end of this post I'll have a little tip about NaNoWriMo, but … Continue reading The Sequel Game

#NaNoPrep: Last-Minute Panic

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! (<-- me screaming) NaNoWriMo starts in THREE DAYS!!! And guess who's been slacking on their #NaNoPrep posts?? Yep, you guessed it. Me. I had a good reason, though. I was on vacation. So what do you do when you realize November is literally right around the corner? Well... No. Please don't freak out. It … Continue reading #NaNoPrep: Last-Minute Panic

#NaNoPrep: A Writing Survival Kit

Ah, it's October now, isn't it? You know what that means. Fall weather, pumpkins, and Halloween. Oh and also NaNoWriMo is less than a month away. Which means it's NaNoPrep Month!!! I did a NaNoPrep series last year, and everyone seemed to like it, so I thought I'd bring it back this year. I love … Continue reading #NaNoPrep: A Writing Survival Kit

The Pitiable Antagonist

Gollum. The Phantom of the Opera. Draco Malfoy. Severus Snape. What do all of these have in common? They're all antagonists, of course. And, probably, we have another emotion associated with them besides hate. Sometimes, we love to hate the villain (Umbridge, anyone?). If they're evil enough, we might love being terrified. Occasionally, we might … Continue reading The Pitiable Antagonist

The Truth About Clichés

I've been thinking a lot lately about clichés. Writers are told to avoid them like the plague. They are a horribly awful very bad idea. A big no-no. Clichés are a sign of lazy writing, amateur writing, and all sorts of other writing that you'd never want to associate with. Think of the young, orphaned, … Continue reading The Truth About Clichés