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
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
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
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
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
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