Unsolicited Critiques—Don’t be a jerk.

Ugh. I just watched a fledgling writer leave a group due to an unsolicited, and unduly harsh, critique. This happens all too often. As over the last few weeks the subject of unsolicited critiques has popped up in my craft groups, as well as in my own life, I wanted to take a minute andContinue reading “Unsolicited Critiques—Don’t be a jerk.”

Backstory

Is everyone ready for the holidays? Hanukkah starts pretty early this year, and I still haven’t finished my shopping. Total mom-fail, right? Right now, I’m wrapping up the second installment of The Way of Thieves and Liars series, tentatively titled: The Way of Fools and Traitors. This manuscript has passed the 200k mark, so even withContinue reading “Backstory”

My Ten-step Drafting Process

What constitutes an effective novel-crafting method varies from person to person. Some folks are plotters, mapping every detail of their project before putting words to paper. Others are pansters, winging their writing as they go. Still more writers fall somewhere between those two ends of the spectrum. There’s no one right way to write a novel, but I’mContinue reading “My Ten-step Drafting Process”

World Building Basics

WORLD BUILDING WORKSHEET PHYSICAL WORLD GEOGRAPHY Climate Zone Where on your planet is this land located? This will affect temperature & weather. Learn about climates here. Geographic Features Mountains, deserts, lakes, rivers, etc. Agriculture What food is produced in the land? What do people grow? How do they grow it? Water Supply Where does theContinue reading “World Building Basics”