You just finished reading a fantasy series that has left you reeling.
You’re satisfied with the way things turned out, but the thought of saying goodbye to those characters just hurts.
You want to keep the magic going.
So now you’re looking for the best guide on how to write a fantasy novel — because you want to be the kind of writer who can work that kind of magic.
Who knew fantasy fiction could be so transformative?
If you’ve hit a wall with your latest story, sometimes all you need is to get better acquainted with your characters.
The more you know them, the more they talk to you.
The more you understand what your characters want and why, the more your writing will help the reader understand.
And the harder it will be for them to put your book down.
This is why we’ve created this list of character development questions for writers. Answering them will bring your characters to life.
And when you hear their voices in your head, they can lead you down paths you hadn’t thought of before.
You keep running into microfiction stories in your social media feeds. Some of them are really good, too.
And you’re thinking, “I bet I could write something like that.”
All you need are some inspiring flash fiction prompts to get you started.
Even if you just want to challenge yourself to write more and to share more of what you write, flash fiction is an excellent way to hone your storytelling skills.
And if you win some flash fiction writing challenges along the way, so much the better.
Writers don’t have trouble finding their own voice, but what about when you need other voices, as in character dialogue?
A conversation between two or more characters is almost as much about what they don’t say as what they do.
A writer must paint the scene with words and then find the right words for the character dialogue.
This is when two incredible forms of writing collide into a “must-read” copy.
All writers know the feeling.
You’re staring at a blank screen, and the words just won’t come.
Anxiety about the writing task that lies ahead puts a knot in the pit of your stomach.
Did you know that this anxiety can actually help you to become a better writer if you know how to challenge it positively?
What you need is affirmations for writers.
It’s not so simple a question, after all.
Genre norms do provide some clues for your novel’s word count. But when you’re writing a novel, you need more than that.
You need to know what your target readers expect. When they pick up your book, will they be disappointed if the spine is less than an inch thick?
Or are they likely to want something they can finish more quickly?
How many words are in a novel that most of your ideal readers are looking for? And where do you get this information?
I love to write, but I’m not so crazy about grammar.
Learning about words that dangle, split, and get misplaced isn’t my idea of fun.
However, as an English major in college, I had it drilled into my head that poor grammar revealed laziness and a lack of respect for the reader.
It’s the literary form of bad manners and exposes the writer as someone who isn’t serious about the craft.
If you’re an author, particularly a self-published author, you need to do everything possible to win your readers’ hearts and minds.
When they are distracted by grammatical errors or confused by the meaning of a sentence, they aren’t likely to buy your next book — or finish the one they are reading.
As tedious as grammar may be to those of us who just want to write, it is well worth a few minutes of your time to refresh the basics and make sure you don’t fall into one of the problematic grammar traps.