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A New Method for Antagonists

Feb 6 2019
Posted in:
Beginner Resources, Writers Toolbox, Writing Life

I’ve had the pleasure over the past few summers to teach at Duke Young Writers’ Camp. One of my favorite courses was a Dark Fiction class for middle grade students. It was an opportunity to walk young writers through fiction that really pushes the boundaries. Unsurprisingly, many of my young writers go a little too far. One infamous story featured a villainous assassin targeting a list of grandmothers. It was a great opportunity to talk […]

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A Few Gift Ideas for Your Readers

Nov 28 2018
Posted in:
Beginner Resources, Miscellaneous, Writers Toolbox, Writing Life

You forgot, didn’t you? In the adrenaline rush that is Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you actually forgot to get a very special person a present. Sure, you found your brother in-law that vacuum he wanted at a discount. Mom’s getting that gorgeous plant holder she keeps hinting at. You even remembered the nephews and their strange new obsession with dinosaurs. But you forgot to get a present for us—your readers. (Live footage of your […]

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Taking Advantage of Our Unpublished Work

Oct 29 2018
Posted in:
Industry Life, Inspiration, Tips From Industry Pros, Writers Toolbox

Gather around the fire. Let’s tell a ghost story. I have a middle grade novel that releases next year. The series follows characters that train for their potential stories by attending Protagonist Preparatory. In the book, my main character stumbles upon the Sepulcher. But instead of hosting dead people, the school’s catacombs are full of dead books. All those books you started but never finished in high school? First chapters that never quite took off? […]

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Sifting Through Story Ideas

Dec 7 2015
Posted in:
Beginner Resources, Writers Toolbox

I wasn’t sure what to write about this month, so I asked trusty Twitter for advice. Two people in a row asked about sifting through ideas and how to decide what goes in a book. So, that’s what we’re doing. First: I get it. You’re a writer. You have lots of ideas. You have ~*~imagination.~*~ But how to sort through all of that and put only the best things in the book? Good question. Maybe you […]

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