Category: Organization & Process

Preptober Prompts Announcement!

Preptober Prompts Announcement!

Two years ago I started an event called Preptober Prompts to get people excited and thinking about their NaNoWriMo novels for the month of October (also known, in writer circles, as Preptober). And we’re approaching that time of year again!

Here’s how the event works. The prompts are centered around a theme (“change,” this year), and each week features a different category of prompts: worldbuilding prompts, character prompts, plot prompts, and flash fiction prompts. In addition, each week is hosted by a different blogger. I’m super happy to announce this year’s co-hosts! Continue reading “Preptober Prompts Announcement!”

Why Sequels Are Harder to Write – Guest Post by Hope Bolinger

Why Sequels Are Harder to Write – Guest Post by Hope Bolinger

Today we have a guest on the blog! Hope Bolinger is a YA author and literary agent, and this post is part of the blog tour to promote her upcoming book: Den. Stick around to the end of the post to read more about that.


Have you ever read a sequel and thought, “Meh. The original was better”?

Or have you ever felt that a book didn’t need a sequel, and that the author simply wrote a second book because their publisher said, “Stacey, you sold a million books. We need a second installment NOW!”?

Believe it or not, authors get intimidated by writing sequels. Even if we’d originally planned for a series, we worry that our second book will end up like so many other second installments to popular books: mediocre at best.

In this article, I’ll break down some of the trickiest obstacles to writing a sequel, and how to overcome them. Continue reading “Why Sequels Are Harder to Write – Guest Post by Hope Bolinger”

The Benefits of Vignette Worldbuilding

The Benefits of Vignette Worldbuilding

There are many methods you can use to build a world. I mean, many. Everyone is going to have a different way they go about worldbuilding, and I personally tend to use a broad variety of methods. One method I’ve found a lot of fun while working on Deseran (my huge “desert fantasy” world, which I finally get to share a piece of with Caithan) is what I call “vignette worldbuilding.” The way it works, I select a piece of the world that I’ve been developing recently, or I latch onto a cool new concept that doesn’t have an official place yet, and I write a piece of short prose around it. Caithan, for instance, was an exploration of the mix of cultures in Teraco, an empire that’s something of a cultural melting-pot. I’ve also written short pieces to further develop races, or to show how certain groups are treated in differing countries, or to showcase the unique traits of the wildlife of the world. There’s really no limit to what you can explore with vignette worldbuilding. But what are its unique benefits? Continue reading “The Benefits of Vignette Worldbuilding”

5 Fiction Writing Exercises to Stretch Your Skill

5 Fiction Writing Exercises to Stretch Your Skill

This week’s blog tour focus is Carnival Hearts, the second story in the new edition of Short Story Collection vol. 1. Since Carnival Hearts was really a writing exercise that went well, I figured it would be fun to share a handful of fiction writing exercises you can try to get out of your writing comfort zone! I don’t know about you, but my best writing tends to happen when I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone; and even when the end result isn’t great, the process of doing an exercise is almost always a ton of fun. Continue reading “5 Fiction Writing Exercises to Stretch Your Skill”

3 Indicators That It’s Time to Let Go of a Project

3 Indicators That It’s Time to Let Go of a Project

This post is a little ironic, seeing as I’m gearing up to promote a book I edited after I’d already published it and clearly didn’t let go of, but… here we are. With the new year, many writers are taking on new projects (or refocusing on existing projects) and letting go of others. But how do you know whether to prioritize projects or let them go? Here are a few indicators your project might be ready for the far back burner. Continue reading “3 Indicators That It’s Time to Let Go of a Project”