Tag: writing

4 Ways to Make a Scene Matter by Andrea Lundgren

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In writing, we’re told to “kill our darlings” and get rid of the bits of writing we love if they don’t serve the story.

But what if we could take those little scenes and transform them into something useful, incorporating the elements that are near and dear to our heart with the plot?

It won’t always work–some writing is just too self-conscious, too pretentious, and too wordy to survive the editing process–but you have some options of what to do with those scenes besides sending them to the chopping block…

Continue reading on Andrea’s blog: 4 Ways to Make a Scene Matter

Fantasy Art Friday

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Get inspired with this week’s Fantasy Art Friday, where fun fantasy artwork is combined with a writing prompt to get your creative juices flowing.

“Tranquility” is the title, and at first glance this place does look tranquil. The lush green of the landscape, the slowly flowing stream. Could be a nice place to idle on a warm afternoon.  Perhaps wade through the cool water…find a few colorful rocks, or watch small fish swimming in the still waters close to the bank.

Yet as I look closer, into undergrowth surrounding the stream, I realize just how thick it is. Is the whole forest so dense, or has it only grown up that way along the water’s edge? What if you had to travel through an entire forest like that, wading through foliage, and stumbling over roots and rocks, never quite knowing what might be watching you through that tangle of green? What if your journey was urgent, requiring haste to reach your ultimate destination? Suddenly this scene seems oppressive, the stream tranquil because it offers the only break in an endless, smothering blanket of green. Perhaps it is not the ideal location for an idyllic afternoon stroll, but is more like the dark place in my book series called the Shadow Wood, full of terrors that torment the body as well as the mind. There…did you hear it? That whisper in your ear. What was it saying? Or was it just the wind after all?

“Tranquility” by Wouter Florusse

Fantasy Art Wednesday

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Get inspired with this week’s Fantasy Art Wednesday, where fun fantasy artwork is combined with a writing prompt to get your creative juices flowing.

There is a certain beauty about this dim and overgrown swamp. A female figure pushes a boat through the still, shallow water, the light of a single lantern barely illuminating the way before her. She doesn’t seem quite human. What is she? Does she belong to this wet, shadowy world, or is she just a stranger passing through? Where did she come from, and where is she going?

How to Beat the Blank Page and Write by Janeen Ippolito

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We’ve all been there.

You sit down after a long day. You’re tired, but you made it. Your kids are at a sitter, or your dishes are getting ignored in the sink, or you’ve finally gotten off social media. You’re ready to write.

And then: nothing. Absolutely nothing. All of those brilliant ideas for your manuscript, blog post, article, or what-have-you are gone.

The screen is blank.

You glance at the clock. You’re down to fifty minutes of precious writing time before you have to get on to the next task, because you write in the margins. You don’t have the luxury of trying to wait for the muse. You have to get content onto paper NOW.

All of those thoughts only make you freeze up more. You decide to go on a walk. All you feel is relief that you’re away from your computer. Divine inspiration? Not there.

What about online writing gurus and experts? Surely they have an idea? You hop online just for a second, just to scroll through a few blogs and websites of successful writing experts and authors.

Man, these people look way more put-together than you. Look at those shiny websites! Even their posts look awesome. And who did those book covers? Yikes! How are they that famous that quickly? Is this normal? What are you even doing?

Maybe you’re not cut out for this. The doubts churn in your stomach.

Thirty minutes gone. What? No. How did time go so fast? This is not fair. Okay, focus. Gotta get this done. Otherwise, you won’t have any time until tomorrow. Professionals work best under deadlines, right? And you’re a professional. You’re making time. You’re doing things the right way.

The blank screen still looms large. You have nothing…

Read the rest of the article:  How to Beat the Blank Page and Write

Fantasy Art Wednesday

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Get inspired with this week’s Fantasy Art Wednesday, where fun fantasy artwork is combined with a writing prompt to get your creative juices flowing.

This beautiful mountain valley reminds me of places I saw when I was traveling through the Alps. But imagine this isn’t the Alps–this is a fantasy world, where anything could be on the other side of that mountain.

The beauty of this place is deceiving, and this is no idyllic afternoon outing. You’re on a pressing  journey through these mountains; treacherous on foot, with steep, slippery surfaces, cold, wet weather, and scarce sources of food.

Is that a thick fog ahead, or is a dangerous storm gathering? Either way, going headlong into it isn’t wise. Best to stay here among the green grasses and flowers until it passes by. Why are you here in the first place? Are you running from something, seeking refuge and the protection in this remote wilderness? Or is there something so incredible on the other side of the pass that it’s worth any risk just to find it?

Fantasy Art Friday

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Wednesday got busy this week, so I moved this post to Friday. Get inspired with this week’s Fantasy Art Friday, where fun fantasy artwork is combined with a writing prompt to get your creative juices flowing.

Rising up from the ruins are two formidable stone guardians. Ruined or not, this place is fiercely protected. The bears stare down the lone figure approaching. His bow and arrows are no threat–they might as well be toys.

The man carefully contemplates his approach, as well he should. Must a certain ritual be followed to pay the proper respect? Will he be accepted and sheltered here, or will the guardians see him as a threat? This place may be a sanctuary, but whose sanctuary is it?

“Sanctuary” by Juan Pablo Roldan

Why Is It So Hard to Write Good Fantasy? by Lee Duigon

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I’m always looking for more fantasy fiction to read, to inspire my own work and, hopefully, to teach me how to do it better.

I’ve read hundreds of mystery novels of all kinds, and can count on my fingers the ones that have been truly awful. It’s not hard at all to find a good mystery. But with fantasy it’s the other way around.

Why should that be? There are authors who have made prodigious amounts of money writing fantasy that is at best half-baked. And there are lesser fantasy writers who produce stuff that’s hardly fit for the bottom of a bird cage.

Good fantasy fiction, obviously, will have things in common with quality fiction in any genre: an interesting plot; well-drawn characters who have some depth to them; situations that engage the reader’s emotions; a smooth flow of the language. But in fantasy–and in science fiction, too, by the way–books that lack those features are, well, plentiful…

Continue Reading: Why Is It So Hard to Write Good Fantasy?