12 Ways to Make Better Creatures for Fantasy & Sci-Fi
If you’re inventing creatures for your fantasy or sci-fi world, you might be wondering: How can I make them feel more real? How can I make them come alive in … Read More
Writing Diverse Urban Fantasy
Today, more and more authors are being called out for writing problematic content, including the imbalance of male-to-female heroes, the preference for white protagonists, insensitive depictions of trauma, and countless other forms of … Read More
How to Create Maps for Sci-Fi and Fantasy
If you’re creating your own fantasy or science fiction world, there’s a chance you’ve tried to express it with a map. Maybe you drew it on paper, or even took it … Read More
7 Secrets to Creating Likable Characters
Character likability is one of the most important parts of telling a good story. If readers don’t care about your characters, it’s doubtful they will care what happens to them. … Read More
How to Conquer the Fear of Failure
The fear of failure plagues many people, and writers are not exempt. We like to dream big, which is awesome, but we sometimes put too much pressure on ourselves as … Read More
StoryPort is back! What I’ve been doing for five months…
Hello, friends! It has been far, far too long. How are you? I never meant for this blog’s hiatus to last five months (*long sigh*), but you see… I’ve been … Read More
I’m Leaving the Internet… For Now.
Friends, I regret to announce I am disappearing from the Internet… indefinitely. I will be largely absent from my blog, from Twitter, and from Instagram until I finished the second … Read More
What Is Urban Fantasy?
Today we have a special post! I’m interviewing published author J.P. Dailing to talk about a sub-genre of fantasy: urban fantasy. We’ll answer questions such as: What is urban fantasy? What makes this … Read More
How to Tell If You Have Too Many Characters
“Do I have too many characters?” you may wonder, biting your nails as you scrutinize your fictional cast. It’s good that you’re asking, because oversized casts can cause hefty problems. Having too many … Read More
Writing Update: Emergence’s New Title Is…
It’s time for my monthly writing update! (If you don’t care about my writing – or me as a human being – no hurt feelings! You can just skip over … Read More
GIVEAWAY! A free book… for you!
Today’s blog post is a little different. This week, StoryPort passed 100 subscribers. (Yay!) So, I decided to celebrate by giving away a free book, of your choosing. Here’s how … Read More
What to Research When Writing Fantasy
What’s the most overlooked stage of writing fantasy? I might say character development, plot, or world-building, but I think it’s something more foundational: Research. Now, before you groan and shrink … Read More
The Right Way to Kill Your Characters
Writers are murderers. Well, kind of. We do spend a lot of time killing people. Fortunately, those people live exclusively in our imaginations (and in the imaginations of our readers), so … Read More
I’m Back! (Introducing the New StoryPort)
My two-month hiatus is over! StoryPort is back, and better than ever. ;D I’m so excited to share my renovated blog with you. Not only does it look different around here, (just … Read More
I’m Going on a Hiatus… (Plus: Writing Update!)
Hey, everyone! I have a regrettable announcement: I’m taking a break from blogging for two months. I know, I know… sad times. *dramatically wipes away tears* But I promise the wait will be worth it! While … Read More
A Sneak Peak at My Side Characters
In April, I introduced you to the main characters of my fantasy novel, Emergence. Since that post received a really positive response, I’ve decided to introduce you to three more characters. (Eep!) I’m … Read More
3 Steps to Finding Your Story’s Hook
One of the scariest questions for a writer is: “What’s your book about?” After the wide-eyed panic sets in, you may stutter a longwinded, half-coherent attempt at an explanation. But soon, … Read More
An Important Question for You. (Yes, YOU.)
Hey everyone! I have a super quick survey for you that will be immensely helpful in making this blog better. Seriously, it’s only one question. If you could just take a … Read More
How I Gained My First 1,000 Followers on Twitter
Back in December, I passed one thousand followers on Twitter. Since then, I’ve continued gaining new followers at an average of 100+ a month. A lot of people have asked me … Read More
A Sneak Peek at My Main Characters
I see a lot of bloggers writing about their characters, while I’ve been pretty quiet about mine. But, I am passionate about the characters from my novel, Emergence, so of course I’d love to talk about them! In … Read More
5 Storytelling Lessons from the Throne of Glass Series
Throne of Glass is currently my favorite epic fantasy series. While I wouldn’t say the books are perfect, one aspect of them blows me away: The characters. Ironically, these characters are somewhat … Read More
Writing Update: Camp NaNoWriMo, Projects, and an Announcement
Hi, everyone! Gah! It’s been way too long since I’ve written a blog post. But I have returned! *gallops in atop a majestic, white horse to the sound of trumpets* A lot has happened … Read More
The Right Way to Torture Your Characters
As writers, we often joke about how much we enjoy “torturing” our characters. Of course, this doesn’t just mean literal, physical torture, but any of the numerous ways we make our … Read More
5 Random Facts About Me (and You)
In December, I was tagged by two amazing people: Sara Letourneau for the Creative Blogger Award, and Hannah (H.M. Wilson) for “A Few of my Favorite things.” (Thank you so … Read More
10 Traits of an Epic Hero
Last month, we talked about how to write epic villains. Naturally, it’s time to discuss the other side of the coin: Epic heroes. There will be some overlap with these … Read More
And so it begins…
Last week, I submitted Emergence to beta readers. (*cue internal screaming*) It hasn’t actually been as terrifying as I thought… well, except for the first day. I could barely concentrate on … Read More
And the winner is…
My giveaway is over! I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who participated. I was blown away by how well this giveaway was received! I will definitely be … Read More
GIVEAWAY! “Real” Dragon / B&N Gift Card
To celebrate my reaching 1K followers on Twitter last week, AND the arrival of the New Year, I am hosting a special giveaway! Several weeks ago, when I mentioned the … Read More
10 Traits of an Epic Villain
Good villains can be one of the hardest types of characters to write. And yet, for an epic-style story, they are one of the most important. An effective villain sells the … Read More
Cover Reveal: The Bureau of Time
Today, I’m doing something a little bit different on this blog. Several months ago, I was an advanced reader for Brett Michael Orr‘s YA SF/thriller novel, The Bureau of Time. I truly … Read More
7 Young Adult Clichés That Need to Stop
If you’ve read any number of young adult novels, you may have encountered a few similarities between them. Or maybe more than a few. Sometimes, the same themes are used in fiction … Read More
4 Ways to Write Faster
In the spirit of NaNoWriMo, I decided to write a super practical post for you all today: four ways to write faster! There are multiple reasons why it’s beneficial to write fast. First, (obviously), … Read More
Behind the Scenes: Writing Tag
Today, I get to do something new on this blog! Yipee! I was tagged by the extraordinary Annie Hawthorne to answer a few questions about my writing process. (By the … Read More
3 Storytelling Lessons From The Odyssey
Two months ago, I started an unofficial series studying some of the greatest stories in history. First on the list was The Iliad; now, we will continue this epic trek through … Read More
I finished my book! (Sort of…)
Last week, I made an exciting announcement on social media: I finished the first draft of my novel! YAY! So, I did it. At 5:11 a.m. this morning, I wrote the … Read More
How To Make Time to Read (When You’re Super Busy)
We all know it: Reading is important. Especially for writers. How can we become great storytellers without studying the great works of others? But we’re busy! GAH! How can we find the time … Read More
4 Storytelling Lessons From The Iliad
I recently finished reading Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, as part of a personal challenge to read more classical literature. What better way to become a better storyteller than by studying … Read More
7 Tips for Killing Writer’s Block
Writer’s block. Two dreaded words for any storyteller. Yet inevitably, every one of us – at some point – faces a lack of creativity. What can we do when those … Read More
3 Storytelling Flaws in the Insurgent Movie
I had the opportunity to watch Insurgent in the theaters last weekend. It received mixed reviews, and had many storytelling problems that, if fixed, could have made it a much better movie. What can we … Read More
2 Tricks for Portraying Relatable Heroes
I learned a couple lessons while watching Selma in the theaters last month. The director, Ava DuVernay, did an excellent job at portraying Martin Luther King Jr. as the larger-than-life, heroic icon, while still … Read More
Pain, Tragedy, and Creativity
Last month, my cat passed away. For me, it was the first time experiencing grief of any kind. I thought I was well prepared. “She’s old, and her health is failing,” … Read More
Welcome to the New Blog! Introducing: StoryPort
Hello, friends! I’ve been gone for over a month, and in that time, MAJOR changes have been underway. Take a look around the website – it’s completely different! Not just in style … Read More
Taking a Hiatus
I’m going to take a brief break from blogging, and here’s why. Yes, I know, you’re probably thinking: “Brianna, you basically just started this blog! And you’re already taking a break??” … Read More
Nobody Cares About Your Fantasy World. (Sorry.)
If you’re a fantasy writer (like me), you’ve probably, at some point, created a beautiful fictional universe; a world you are deeply proud of, complete with unique geography, creatures to … Read More