writing
Writing is critical. It’s a medium of communication, a way to better explain yourself, and it transcends all languages and cultures. I love writing, and I hope to help you get started. From literary writing to commercial copywriting, this section will help you understand exactly how to write, both as a beginner and as someone hoping to improve.
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On Writing Dialogue: How to Write Better & Believable Lines
After dropping my marathon of a guide on world building, I think the next best topic to cover would be on writing dialogue. Specifically, writing better dialogue. One of the biggest criticisms I got on my manuscript’s first round of edits was on this. While my world building was strong, characters pretty good, I found myself often telling, rather than showing through my dialogues. And if you’re anyone with a tiny bit of interest in writing, you know how important dialogues can be. They can reveal critical information, help us understand the psychology or motivation of a character, or through subtext, also give us a glimpse in the potential trajectory…
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On Worldbuilding: A Comprehensive Guide
Worldbuilding is hard, to put it mildly. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fantasy writer, or a contemporary fiction writer, you’re going to struggle with worldbuilding. It’s pretty much on par with writing a book. Or even a short story, to be honest. After all, you want your readers to know where your story is set in. Generally, when I’m writing a short story, I like to set my characters in today’s world. Of course, I would argue that short stories can be easier to write because you can choose to focus on a moment in time, or a particular scene only. But with novels, you can’t get away with…
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What Are Author Bios and How to Write Them: A Step-By-Step Guide
This week I’m taking a break from the usual writing blogs (huuuge guide on world building coming in the next couple of weeks) to talk about author bios. So, what’s an author bio? Well, it’s this little paragraph that introduces a writer and sums up who they are. Think: their work, their credentials and really, anything else that readers should know about them. Naturally, as you can imagine, this is probably one of the most important things you’ll ever write (aside from your stories). A killer author bio can make or break your book’s sale – literally. You’ll be pitching it to literary agents, publishers and your readers. It’s your…
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How to Write the Perfect Scene: A Writer’s Guide
I think it’s safe to say that all writers want to write the perfect scene; one that will blow their readers away. A scene that will stick with them long after they’ve turned the final page. Something that will become part of popular culture, something that defines your books or the characters in them. If you want to write the perfect scene, then you’re in the right place. Crafting a truly memorable scene isn’t just about throwing some characters into a setting and hoping for the best. It’s a deliberate process that involves careful planning, a deep understanding of your characters, and a keen awareness of how your scene fits…
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4 Signs You Should Delete a Scene: A Guide for Writers
Oh yes, we’re doing this. We’re talking about something I hate: when to delete a scene. Scary, right? I KNOW. I think it’s pretty obvious at this point that I’m deeply attached to my writing. I’m especially attached to some of the scenes I write late at night, when the rest of the world sleeps and my companions are my nightlight, and the occasional street cat meowing outside. I firmly believe my best work happens after the witching hour. Most of the stuff I’ve written that have also gotten published were written after midnight. However, as great as some scenes I write are, sometimes, they just don’t fit. And yeah,…
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On Writing Emotions: A Writer’s Guide to Mastering Feelings in Fiction
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this several times now, but here’s the recap anyway. As you know, I’m doing the final editing round of my manuscript these days. And one of the major edits I’ve been struggling with is mastering the art of writing emotions. I feel like, as writers, we often get lost in accurately depicting emotions, especially when it comes to emotions like pain and loss. We as people tend to process emotions very differently and our characters, being diverse, tend to have different reactions too. Stories are built on the foundation of action and reaction. When something meaningful occurs, readers want to see how characters respond. These…
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Tips to Overcome the Writer’s Block
Let’s face it, a writer’s block sucks. And trust me, as someone currently going through it right now, let me tell you: it’s horrible. Seriously, what can you even do with a block? OK, back up; I know, technically, I’m writing but I’m talking about my manuscript right now. Something’s blocked in my brain stopping me from writing, editing and overall, just doing anything that requires me from doing anything related to the manuscript from a critical perspective. And this is something that all writers face frequently. There are days when words flow like a river, and others when the blank page stares back at you like an unyielding wall.…
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On Writing the First Chapter of a Novel
Here’s the deal, the opening chapter of any story is, undoubtedly, the most important. It’s the first impression your work makes on the reader, and it needs to be compelling enough to make them want to keep reading. There needs to be something to leave readers wanting more. A strong opening chapter can make your book a page-turner, while a weak one can cause readers to abandon your book. If you screw up the opening chapter, you are sending a message to the audience that you do not know how to do this and there’s a very good chance you do not know how to do the rest of the…
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How You Can Leverage AI Tools to Write Faster
In the last blog post, we spoke about delusions on AI tools replacing writers. Of course, I’m going to stick to my stance that writers cannot be replaced, but we did end the blog on a more positive note. AI tools, for better or worse, are here to stay. So, what can we do about them? In the case of new technology everywhere, there’s a general consensus that you either get with the program or risk falling behind. Luckily for us, at this point, it’s not about falling behind, but rather…well, allowing your work to fall behind. SEO’s very cutthroat, if I do say so myself. What worked about a…
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On the Rise (and Fall) of AI Writing Tools
It’s been about a year-ish since AI driven content took the world by storm. More specifically AI writing tools. I was actually in an interview with the CEO of a tech company, the day after ChatGPT-4 was announced. Up until that point, I had been extremely excited by the idea of AI writing tools. Unfortunately, some employers decided to believe that AI writing tools were a replacement for copywriters and not a useful writing aid for them. Seriously. Let’s go back to the interview I was in. I was pretty confident that I would get the job. My experience was perfectly aligned with the position. I had the perfect references,…