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Setting the Scene: Zoom Out Before You Zoom In
September 17, 2024
One common misstep I see in novel openings, chapter openings, and even new mid-chapter scenes is the tendency to zoom in too tightly, too soon.
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World-Building Questionnaire: Technology and Magic
September 04, 2024
Power, in all its forms, is a crucial source of tension and conflict. Power can corrupt, but it can also liberate.
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World-Building Questionnaire: Language and Communication
September 04, 2024
Even historical fiction authors must consider linguistic influences, especially as they impact worldview and personal values.
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World-Building Questionnaire: History and Current Events
August 21, 2024
Understanding your world’s history and current events is crucial. They affect the political landscape, societal norms, and your characters' motivations.
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World-Building Questionnaire: Religion and Belief Systems
August 15, 2024
Understanding your world’s religion and belief systems is crucial—they affect your characters' values, motivations, and interactions.
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World-Building Questionnaire: Daily Life and Customs
July 25, 2024
Understanding the daily life and customs of your world is crucial. They affect characters' behaviors, traditions, and interactions.
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World-Building Questionnaire: Economy and Trade
July 23, 2024
Your story world’s economy and trade affect the wealth distribution, power dynamics, and daily lives of your characters.
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World-Building Questionnaire: Government and Politics
July 01, 2024

Your story world’s government and political systems affect the power dynamics, conflicts, and daily lives of your characters.
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World-Building Questionnaire: Geography and Environment
July 01, 2024
Your story world’s geography and environment affect the culture, economy, and daily lives of your characters.
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What's the Difference Between an Alpha Reader and a Beta Reader?
May 01, 2024
A great novel is honed, not hatched. And to hone your novel, you need feedback.
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Truth in Fiction's Clothing: The Subtle Distinctions Between Memoir & Autofiction
March 22, 2024
All fiction is autobiographical in the sense that your characters and story world are drawn from your lived experience of people and places.
- On the craft
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Inside Job: Transforming Characters Through Internal Conflict
March 14, 2024
If you give your protagonist an internal conflict, they will feel authentic to the reader, and you will create an essential connection between reader and protagonist that is at the heart of all engaging stories.
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