Tag: writing
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Punctuation: The Slash
Definition: a punctuation mark (/) once used to mark periods and commas, the slash is now used to represent division and fractions, exclusive ‘or’ and inclusive ‘or,’ and as a date separator. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or…
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10 Tips for Writing Captivating Stories
Capturing a reader’s attention is the goal for many writers. You want them to read and enjoy what you’ve written, but how do you know if you’ve succeeded until the book is out there? Beta readers are the first step, of course. They read your book while you’re still in the editing/rewriting stage, so they…
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Punctuation: Brackets
Definition: a punctuation mark; a pair of square brackets [ ] used to set apart certain words and sentences, mainly in quotations to add extra information that wasn’t in the original quote. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or…
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10 Tips for Fantasy Writers
Fantasy is a genre that’s always amazing to read. How crazy is it that a simple block of paper can transport us to a whole other world? You may even want to write your own fantasy story, to build your own world set in the ancient past or the distant future. If you are, here…
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Spelling: Capitals
To capitalize or not to capitalize? The answer isn’t as philosophical as to be or not to be. In other languages, capitalization rules can vary drastically, but the rules for English are, I’ve found, fairly straightforward. Beginning of a Sentence Capitalize the first word of every sentence. *Note: dialogue tags do not count as their…
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Romance in Fiction
This’ll probably be a more controversial topic—especially for those out there who love romance books—but I don’t like cheesy love stories. Love triangles are sort of a bore too, if they’re splattered with clichés, and unless the point of the story is to show a toxic relationship or bring light to degrading stereotypes, I won’t…
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What is a Literary Agent?
If you’re thinking of publishing traditionally, you need to know what a literary agent is. These are the people who will get you in the door, because most big publishing houses don’t take unsolicited submissions these days. (And if they do, they might just be a Hybrid Publishing company, which often just wants to take…
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Deities in Fiction
Whether you’re incorporating real-world gods into your book, or you’ve created your own pantheon, deities are some of the most difficult to write because humans are not immortal. How can you think like one? How can you determine what an immortal would think is important, considering they have all the time—and often all the power—in…
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D&D Alignments for Writing Characters
Characters are the lifeblood of any story, but sometimes it’s a challenge to breathe that life into them. They need to feel realistic, but how do you do that? There are quite a few strategies out there, and one tried and true method is a fairly simple one: nail their personality. People are shaped by…
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Powers in Fiction
Often in books—fantasy and science-fiction mostly—supernatural powers are involved. This could be powers bestowed by a deity (shadowhunters from The Mortal Instruments), by a science experiment (Captain America from Marvel), by magic (magic itself, or powers bestowed by a magical being), or simply through biology (aliens). Whether it be by any of these methods or…