Today’s Master Your Craft post is a recap. Each Wednesday we’ve discussed one facet of writing a story. Last week, we finished the section on prewriting. If you started the series late or have gotten busy and missed some posts, here’s your chance to catch up! Below is a list of the posts with links to each. Introducing Master Your Craft The Big Idea Creativity to … Continue reading MYC Review: Getting Ready to Draft
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 Two Approaches to Fantasy World Building. Today we continue with world building by looking at two approaches to science fiction world building. After reading Julie and Gabby’s post last week, we actually considered not writing this post. … Continue reading MYC: Two Approaches to World Building for Science Fiction
Months ago, my fourteen-year-old son saw the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy II, and insisted we see it in the theater. We all liked the original movie and the trailer looked good, so on a cloudy, not-too-promising Saturday morning, we planned it as a family outing. By the time we arrived at the theater, my son, my daughter and I were still excited, but … Continue reading What Can We Learn About Character Arc and Pacing from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY II? (Spoiler free)
I requested an advanced reader copy of Song of the Current in exchange for an unbiased review. An immersive fantasy debut set along the waterways of a magical world. Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. Her father is a wherryman, as was her grandmother. All Caro needs is for the river god to whisper her name, and her fate is sealed. But at seventeen, Caro may be too … Continue reading Recommended: SONG OF THE CURRENT by Sarah Tolcser
I requested a free advanced reader copy of Follow Me Back in exchange for an unbiased review. Told through tweets, direct messages, and police transcripts Follow Me Back is the first book of a new duology. Written for the online generation this thriller will keep you guessing right up to the shocking end. Tessa Hart’s world feels very small. Confined to her bedroom with agoraphobia, her one escape … Continue reading Book Recommendation: FOLLOW ME BACK by A.V. Geiger
I received a free advanced reader copy of The Takedown in exchange for an unbiased review. Kyla Cheng doesn’t expect you to like her. For the record, she doesn’t need you to. On track to be valedictorian, she’s president of her community club, a debate team champ, plus the yummy Mackenzie Rodriguez has firmly attached himself to her hip. She and her three high-powered best friends … Continue reading Book Recommendation: THE TAKEDOWN by Corrie Wang
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Disappearances in exchange for an honest review. What if the ordinary things in life suddenly…disappeared? When Aila’s mother dies and her father is drafted to fight in World War II, she and her younger brother are sent to live with her mother’s best friend from childhood. Aila has met Mrs. Clifton and her son only twice and arrives at her mother’s rural home … Continue reading Book Recommendation: THE DISAPPEARANCES by Emily Bain Murphy
We received a free copy of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi’s The Urban Settings Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces in exchange for an honest review. Since we’re fans of their Emotion Thesaurus as well as their thesauri of positive and negative character trains, we were excited to dive in. (See our review of the other books here.) The Urban Setting Thesaurus is a wonderful resource for a … Continue reading Using Setting to Create a Three-Dimensional World for Your Story: THE URBAN SETTING THESAURUS
I’m revising manuscript number five of my not-yet-illustrious writing career. The story is complete, has been read one critique partner and revised, and is ready to go to beta readers. This story has heists, fight scenes and even kissing (new for me since my prior stories were middle grade), and I’m very excited about it. I dream of agents begging me for this manuscript…if they … Continue reading First Pages: My Search for the Un-put-downable Start of a Story
Q: What is Four on 400? A monthly contest that provides ONE LUCKY MG or YA WRITER with feedback on their opening 400 WORDS! As part of our ongoing mission to support writers, we’ll give a MG or YA writer feedback on their work from four of The Winged Pen’s contributors. Q: Sounds exciting! How do I enter? To enter, simply comment at the bottom of this post! At 4pm (EST) … Continue reading The March #Fouron400 Kidlit Writing Contest Window is now Open!
Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s Four on 400 contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. Below, we’ve posted the first 400 words from this month’s winner, along with feedback from at least four of our members. We also encourage our readers to share their (constructive) suggestions and encouragement in the comments section below. The Mouse … Continue reading 4 on 400: February Feedback
Over the holidays, my father-in-law mentioned that a friend had just written a book, his memoirs about the Vietnam War. Since my father-in-law knows I write, I felt like I should offer to help his friend, but I write middle grade and young adult stories. What useful advice would I have? Then I asked if his friend was on Twitter. He wasn’t. That opened up … Continue reading Twitter 101 for Writers
