We’ve all experienced something like it. The loss of a friend or family member, a tough day at work, too much to do all in one day… There are many things in life that stress us out or make us feel overwhelmed. But how do you write characters feeling these things in your books?
Start with what you know. Think about how you react to Continue reading “How to Write Grief, Stress, and Overwhelm”
When I think back to my early writing—the really early stuff, back when I thought that five pages was long enough to be a novel—I see a gigantic mess. Flat characters, rushed plots, things that little seven-year-old me didn’t think through that are now really creepy (like the fact that one of my characters accidentally had two wives), and fairytale romances. I have a document of those old stories that’s titled “The Cheese Factory.”
I can’t save you from cheesy stories or flat characters—and honestly you’ll run into those through your entire writing career Continue reading “My Top 5 Tips for New Writers”
Art is a powerful thing. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes it feels like it’s simply words on a page or paint on a canvas or notes on the air. Other times, it’s impossible to miss how powerful it is. Other times it hits you like a train, bringing you to tears or making you grin uncontrollably. Art is much more than the sum of its parts. Art has the power to spawn emotion in a reader, viewer, listener. I know this first-hand, both from being so affected by art, and by seeing the reactions that my friends have when they read my writing.
“With great power comes great responsibility.” As artists, we have great power, but we have to be careful Continue reading “The Power of Art”
With a new year comes new goals, and mine are probably overly ambitious. But hey, “if you shoot for the moon you may land among the stars.” At least I’ll be farther along than I was. So, without further ado, here are my many goals for 2018.
1. Prepare The Dark War Trilogy for publishing
This was originally “Publish The Dark War Trilogy,” but after scheduling everything out I found that wasn’t doable, so instead I’ll be aiming to have them all finished and edited so they’re ready by the end of the year and I’ll aim to publish them Continue reading “My Goals for the New Year”
I’m sure many of you know Livi since she’s from my short story series Memories & Photographs, but in case you don’t: She’s a peppy high-schooler who loves bright colors, sunshine, rainbows, unicorns, and yellow Converse. Continue reading “Character Interview: Livi Brooklyn”