Piecing Together Your Writing Future
All things writing. If it has to do with you putting words on paper (or the screen) you will find it here.
How I write suspense scenes is to put myself there, in the moment. Suspense writing is a very delicate art form. When done correctly, the reader should be feeling a mix of emotions. Everything from fear and hatred to slight...
I was once given advice: Don’t set out to write a book, set out to write a #1 best seller. It is this mentality that made me always shoot for the moon. When I first started dreaming I always dreamed...
As a writer, we must decide how many details to include in our created worlds. Believe it or not, there is a fine line for most readers between too little and too much. Finding that perfect detail balance is what...
This little beauty of a blog post is one I wrote about 6 years ago. I still think about the situation now. Amid this self-quarantine time of the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, I figured I would share a more entertaining story...
Last Update: May 02, 2021 Recently, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), has opened a new way to tell your stories. Through a new app, called Kindle Vella, readers around the world will be able to log in, find your story, and...
One of our own does it again, folks! Team member and winner of the coveted super best person in the universe award, Samantha Heuwagen has out done herself once again. As you may know, the Starless Series is a tale...
We write stories in a certain genre. We have a connection with a particular audience. Our readers are thought to be of a specific type, age range, nationality or any other aspect we deem we are writing our story to,...
It isn’t often that we give a whole lot of thought to our rough drafts. By the time we sit and start writing, we have so many other things on our minds that the actual draft becomes more of “just...
Long ago I learned a valuable life lesson: Not everyone gives good driving directions, not everyone receives driving directions well. You can Learn Writing Lessons From Life As I was just starting out driving (I told you, it was long...
Dreams are open to interpretation. Do they have a meaning at all or is it just a random method of our brains firing off broken synapses as it slows down for the night? For writers, dreams can spark an entire...
Voice is imperative. It’s essential. It is everything. It is quite possible to have one of the greatest storylines ever created, the vast lands, the adorable and lovable characters, the perfect plot twists and the greatest ending ever penned by...
Old houses make great inspiration. Allow me to tell you a little tale. A personal experience of sorts, if you will. Following a government-backed reason for having to leave the UK, I find myself sleeping on the floor in a...
Research is touchy. Especially for writers. Women don’t like to feel made a fool of, or gullible. Men know everything and want to prove it. Readers, in general, don’t like being data dumped upon. There is a fine line between...
Hemingway Said, You Do Not Talk About Writing Rule number one: You do not talk about writing. Rule number two: You do NOT talk about writing! I always picture Brad Pitt walking around telling a group of authors all the...
Not One to Believe Fear in Dreams, I Find Myself Wondering Eleven minutes ago, I was fast asleep. Cozy, comfortable, and snuggled down in a blanket (with one leg hanging out). Ten minutes ago, I was rudely awoken, and now...
If there is one thing that every single writer faces it is the blank page. We can’t help but come across it. Every new project starts the same way: a new, shiny, blank page. Sometimes, we writers sit there, staring...
Story Arc and Archetype, Explained Today I will discuss story arc and story archetype. Wait. I hear you say. Aren’t they the same thing? I mean, arc is just an abbreviation of archetype, right? Well… no. They do have some...
If you are pondering using a character-driven plot in your story, you have come to the right place. If you don’t know what the writing types are; you have come to the right place. Also, if you are looking for...
Do You Need A Beta Reader? No. You Need a Team of Beta Readers! Games have testers, books have readers. The idea behind them is the same: find a problem before it’s sent out for the masses. Beta-readers are the...
Chapter Length, Does it Matter? I ask myself this often. How long should a chapter be? Is there an optimal chapter length? The true answer is that there is no answer. The truth is realized when you understand… there is...
As a writer I have seen and heard it all. Everything from the mundane stereotypes all the way to the awkward assumptions. As a reader, I have read it all. Just like in movies, in a book everything has been...
Another week’s worth of writing prompts gone and another weekend ahead. The shortened month has seemed to go really fast at times and slow to a crawl at others. Which brings me to today’s lesson/prompt. Time is a relative thing...
Hannah Bauman is a professional, freelance literary editor. She is responsible for editing more books than I can count. Hannah was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to provide you with a fantastic Q&A session for...
Samantha Heuwagen is a bilingual therapist and best selling author of The Starless Series. Not only was she kind enough to contribute to the Extra Draft Writing Method Masterclass (along with her cohort Dr. B), she also provided an insight...
As we continue to look at how your particular skills can earn you money, we also remind you to keep thinking in terms of larger numbers. Your mindset is more important than you realize. Did you miss the first post...
As the week is getting going, we are trying to defrost and thaw out, it is time to write, once again! Today’s prompt will be quick since I know we have a lot of real-life things to get to (apparently,...
The Snopocalypse 2021 is upon us (and now I am dating myself for future releases of this DWP). Much of the US is frozen with rolling blackouts in some areas to help maintain electric power. Plus snow, sleet, freezing rain...
TGIF! At least this year. In the future when you read this post on the 12th of February, it may not be a Friday. So let’s pour a drink for future us who will most likely be in the middle...
This week we have been working on our character arcs. I know that the writing prompts have been more lesson and less prompt lately (except for this weekend), but I feel it is important to keep up on these things....
The Rough Draft is a Perfect Draft, for What it is Is your rough draft perfect? Of course it is! Most writers think of the rough draft as the start, but it begins far sooner than that. Every writer is...
Word Count Goals and How to Make Them It’s all around you as a writer: set your word count goals and stick to them. Writing goals, words per day goals, hours per session goals, and on and on and Scooby...
I am letting you in on a little secret of mine that I use to lure readers in. I expect you to harness this power and use it only for good. Also, I expect you to keep it to yourself.
There are a couple of adages running around the writer’s community. “If you want to write better; read a lot.” Also, “if you want to write better, write a lot.“ “Write every day.” That is what they tell you. The...
A little late today, but it is still today. For today’s writing prompt we will look at more practice opportunities to build up your scenes and develop your characters. Just a simple one today as it is getting late. But...
Why name your characters? Characters aren’t just some random made-up beings that do our bidding. Okay, so they truly are. The problem is a lot of writers out there treat them as such. Doing so makes them unbelievable. Just like...
What do I mean, “Knowing Your Characters?” Have you ever watched a movie and cried when a character gave a long, emotional speech, or when two characters finally realize they are meant for each other and hug and kiss? Knowing your...
Character development. That is the second theme of the year, following our scene building practice. Today is the final day for character development practices. Let’s recap. We started by learning how to take the time to develop every character that...
Next to scene development, character development is the other most crucial aspect of your story. It is so important in fact, that you can have a best selling novel that has absolutely no plot or action as long as the...
As we gear up for the weekend, let’s see if we can’t start something new. All this week we have worked on prompts that help us build and perfect scenes. We capped it off with a post all about setting...
Setting the scene is as important as creating real-to-life characters. It is an art form and you are the artist. As an artist, we have a plethora of ways to interact with those that wish to be entertained. We act,...
In the last few prompts we have covered scene building, piece by piece. In case you missed it, here is the breakdown: Jan 16 – Focus on a perfect scene Jan 17 – Using only dialogue Jan 18 – Using...
This week has started a trend in the writing prompts to get you to practice certain aspects of scene building. Today, we will continue that trend. So far we have built a scene using only dialogue and we have built...
In yesterday’s prompt we talked about perfect practice. Today, we continue the trend but in a slightly different way. Today we will take something we aren’t good with and practice making it better. Because this prompt is generic and I...
Creating characters isn’t just about putting a name to some random text speaking entity. As the author, you play God. You breathe life into these paper dolls. More goes into even that though, at least for me. When I first...
Hello kids! Today’s writing prompt is a little more straight forward. While there is still an element of teaching involved (as always) it is more about repetition. Practice. There is an old saying that practice makes perfect. But this isn’t...
Today we mark the half-way point of the month! Congratulations on making it this far into the new year. I hope that you are still working on your goals, resolutions, plans or whatever changes you told yourself you would make...
The weekend is coming and it is time to start thinking about your stories. One of the most difficult things to do when writing is to build your scene. Scene building is actually a simple thing. You have a character...
First and foremost, please forgive any semblance of attitude this post may bear. I have been taken out of my sorts by a recent article I read about writer’s block. In short: it pissed me off. I will not link...
On the 12th day of writing prompts, my true love gave to me, 12 writing prompts, 11 writing lessons, 10…(trails off). Not only am I starting today’s prompt with some silliness, I am also going to read your mind. Ready...
Shall we continue our New Year’s tradition with the 11th writing prompt of the year? Yes! Okay, then. This lesson is geared to ALL writing types. I don’t care if it is poetry, copywriting, novels, those notes you make on...
As writers, we tend to have this belief in ourselves that can only come from the inside. It is a great thing. That little voice inside that tells us “You can do it, this is fantastic, keep going!” It’s that...
For the 10th, the writing prompt will focus more to the screenwriter. However, the novelist will get a good challenge from it, too. One disadvantage that screenwriters face (compared to novelists), is that they have a much more limited area...
I am a little late to the party today guys, I apologize. But, since it is still technically the 9th where I am (at least for a couple more hours) it still counts! Today’s prompt is another specialized one. It...
For the second Friday of January (If you are reading this in 2021), the writing prompt is going to be a little crazy, a little zany, a little… Well, you get the idea. There aren’t a lot of rules today,...
A week into the new year and we are still going strong. If you haven’t been following along, there is still time to catch up. Just click here to see all the writing prompts and get to work! Your stories...
Literary agents, publishers, editors, synopses, query letters… all scary things, all demanding, demeaning. Sometimes they can be daunting, haunting, loathing as well as loathed. Oftentimes heartbreaking, disconcerting, dispiriting. None of them hold a candle to yourself. You truly are your...
Today’s prompt will be something fairly easy for a lot of you. If you are a creative writer, then it will be a huge advantage. On the other hand, if you struggle with writing, then the prompt may be more...
For today’s prompt I want to go in a little different direction. Instead of writing whatever comes to your mind, I want to tell you exactly what to write. In doing so, I hope to convey a few truths. Even...
Get Organized! Boost Productivity! Overcome Struggles! Does this sound like some sales pitch? It should. I’m trying to sell you some good shit. No need to meet behind a convenience store and swap brown paper bags, though. What I have...
I could have done anything once a day for this blog and for my readers. So why did I choose writing prompts? Writing prompts server several purposes, depending on your needs. If, for example, you run a blog and need...
People ask me about the daily writing prompts (well, okay, no one asks me – BUT, I figure it is at least worth mentioning). “What happens if I miss a day?” I assume they are talking about themselves, but since...
A new day, a new prompt. I am excited. So no long-winded set of rules or superfluous introductions. Let’s just get on with the prompt. January 02 Everything is rubber! You knew your day was going to be weird, how...
New to the blog this go round is the daily writing prompts. The idea here is that I will stop in once a day and post a prompt for you to work with. I will write to that same prompt...
Write me a synopsis. But first, write me a query. Make sure you start your query letter with a hook. Writing about what you have written about makes as much sense as skinning a lion before it is dead. Synopsis,...
Where did The Extra Draft Writing Course come from? Here is a brief history of its conception through today (Plus a BONUS SURPRISE announcement!!). Are you ready to get personal? It All Started About 10 Years Ago… It all started...
How does a writer measure success? The easy answer is in number of books sold. After all, that is what the publishers look for and what they return to for a second book or more. What about those writer’s that...
It starts in childhood. Dreams while you sleep, dreams during school, dreams of the future and the girl with the pink bowed pony tail. Dreams never really end. They do change shape as we age, but they never die. Or...
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