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MYC – Two Approaches to Fantasy World Building

  Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we continued our series with Welcome to World Building. Today we continue to examine the humongous topic by looking at two approaches to fantasy world building. When Gabby & I started talking fantasy world building, we figured out quickly that, while … Continue reading MYC – Two Approaches to Fantasy World Building

MYC: Friends Don’t Let Friends Write Bad Books

Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we continued our series on character development with a Pantser’s Guide to Character Development. This week, we’ll share a method of using a long-form, messy synopsis to get early feedback from your critique partners. Because friends don’t let friends write … Continue reading MYC: Friends Don’t Let Friends Write Bad Books

Cover Reveal, Interview, and Giveaway with Oddity Author Sarah Cannon

The Winged Pen is thrilled to reveal the cover for Oddity, by debut author and pal Sarah Cannon. Read to the end, because there is a giveaway, too! JA: So Sarah, tell us about Oddity. SC: I can’t wait for everyone to read Oddity! It’s a Welcome to Night Vale-inspired adventure, so it’s both life-or-death and very tongue-in-cheek. It’s a love letter to geeky fan-children … Continue reading Cover Reveal, Interview, and Giveaway with Oddity Author Sarah Cannon

MYC: A Reformed Pantser’s Guide to Character Development

Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we continued our series on character development with a post on supporting characters. This week, I’ll share tips on fleshing out characters using my three favorite craft books. A lot of writers start out writing by the seat of their … Continue reading MYC: A Reformed Pantser’s Guide to Character Development

Writing Cross-Culturally

This month, The Winged Pen’s own Michelle Leonard and Julie Artz were lucky enough to attend Madcap Retreats‘ Writing Cross-Culturally Workshop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Not only was it a blast to finally meet up face-to-face, but the long weekend was packed with great information and resources. We’d like to share a peek at what we learned with our readers. Highlights We were surrounded by many … Continue reading Writing Cross-Culturally

Happy Release Day to The Outs!

Today, I’m thrilled to welcome my friend and critique partner E. S. Wesley to The Winged Pen to talk about the release of his debut, The Outs. JA: Congratulations on your debut! Can you tell us a little bit about The Outs’ journey toward publication?  ESW: Sure thing! The Outs was the culmination of other work I’d done in the past, developing this idea and exploring what … Continue reading Happy Release Day to The Outs!

Our Holiday Wish List – Craft Books!

Many of us will spend at least two weeks in December hiding from our children with our nose in a book. At The Winged Pen, our wish lists are full of books that inspire our creativity or deepen our craft. So here’s a peek at the writing books we loved and the books we hope to receive this holiday season. If you have a writer … Continue reading Our Holiday Wish List – Craft Books!

Breaking Through Writer’s Block

Last month, one of my editing clients emailed me a panicked plea for help with writer’s block. And although we’ve talked about this a bit on the blog already (How Do You Tune Out Online “Noise”?, Ideas to Hack Down Writers’ Blocks, 4 Ways Winged Pen Writers Get Words, Perfectionism and Pomodori), it can’t hurt to share the tips I gave my client for breaking through writer’s … Continue reading Breaking Through Writer’s Block

#Scrivathon16 – Writing for Syria Relief

There’s a lot of heavy stuff going on in the world. It’s part of why I spend such a huge amount of time fleeing into the fantasy realm with a book, a movie, or with my own writing. But last month I heard about an opportunity to help a good cause WHILE fleeing into that fantasy world: #Scrivathon16 on Saturday, November 12, 2016.     … Continue reading #Scrivathon16 – Writing for Syria Relief

Happy NaNoWriMo!

Today marks the beginning of the frenetic bundle of amazingness that is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This month, thousands of writers around the globe will try to write a 50,000 word first draft of a new story. With an all-star line-up of NaNoWriMo Pep Talks, and hashtags on Twitter for both writing tips and daily sprints, this month is a great time to start writing … Continue reading Happy NaNoWriMo!

The Seven Stages of Writerly Grief

You’ve heard of the seven stages of grief, but did you know that writers go through those seven stages of writerly grief when they receive feedback on their work? Well they do. Here’s how it happens (and how to survive it). We all know how important beta feedback is to the writing process. And we’ve all heard that getting “thicker skin” is part of writing as well. … Continue reading The Seven Stages of Writerly Grief

Creating a Daily Writing Routine

I am not a morning person. At least, I didn’t use to be. But I need a daily writing routine and morning is the best time for me to do it. A lot of writers participate in #5amwritersclub on Twitter. I’m taking baby steps toward that, but to be honest, I think I need to start my own #6amwritersclub because, well, mornings. Bleh. I started … Continue reading Creating a Daily Writing Routine