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

Julie ArtzMay 10, 2017May 1, 20193 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

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

Julie ArtzMay 3, 2017May 1, 20195 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

My Month of Poetry

I recently found myself in a writing rut. A hectic home life, a stressful and stressed-out world, and somehow writing became both trivial and inaccessible. I could not connect with my creativity, and it felt self-indulgent even to try. Over dinner, a wise friend suggested a poetry challenge. Write a poem a day for thirty days, to clean out the spiders of doubt and despair, … Continue reading My Month of Poetry

Kate HillyerApril 28, 2017April 28, 201711 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Developing Supporting Characters

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 covered Developing Main Characters. This week, I’ll discuss Developing Supporting Characters. The Supporting Characters’ Job The purpose of a supporting character is to add depth to the protagonist by helping the reader understand how the main character interacts with others and … Continue reading MYC: Developing Supporting Characters

Michelle LeonardApril 26, 2017May 1, 20192 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Build Your Main Character

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 covered the Big Idea and using Creativity to help you Create Loglines. This week, I’ll discuss Developing Main Characters. Character development is critical to your story’s success and one of your most important pre-writing activities. You can probably begin … Continue reading MYC: Build Your Main Character

Michelle LeonardApril 19, 2017May 1, 201910 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

Creativity to the Rescue: Finding BIG Ideas

As a piggyback to last week’s BIG IDEAS post in our Master Your Craft Series, it occurred to me that many of our readers may still be struggling with their concept not being quite BIG enough to commit months or maybe years to writing a story. Or maybe you’ve only got a small nugget of an idea. So what do you do? First let’s break … Continue reading Creativity to the Rescue: Finding BIG Ideas

Michelle LeonardApril 17, 2017May 1, 20194 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

Master Your Craft: The Big Idea

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. (For more information, see last week’s intro post.) This week, I’ll discuss The Big Idea. So you’re ready to write a novel. You’ve got a character, maybe a scene, a vague idea of the plot…you’re ready to sit down and start writing, right? … Continue reading Master Your Craft: The Big Idea

Richelle MorganApril 12, 2017May 1, 20194 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

Introducing Master Your Craft: A New Series by the Winged Pen

The last month has been an exciting time here at The Winged Pen as Pennies have been hard at work behind the scenes coming up with a surprise for you. Today, to coincide with Camp NaNo – the virtual writer’s retreat that helps you fit writing into your busy life – we’re excited to launch our new blog series: Master Your Craft with the Winged … Continue reading Introducing Master Your Craft: A New Series by the Winged Pen

Richelle MorganApril 5, 2017April 4, 20173 Comments

Book covers for The Urban Setting Thesaurus and The Rural Setting Thesaurus

Book Recommendations, Craft Books, Creativity and Craft

Spark a Story with the Setting Exercises in The Rural Setting Thesaurus

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi do it again! Introducing The Rural Setting Thesaurus! Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Urban Setting Thesaurus in exchange for an honest review. I also bought a copy of The Rural Setting Thesaurus because it has GOOD STUFF for #kidlit. You know, SHINY settings, like Backyard, Basement, Birthday Party, Child’s Bedroom, Halloween Party, Outhouse, and *cough* Secret Passageway, … Continue reading Spark a Story with the Setting Exercises in The Rural Setting Thesaurus

Laurel DecherMarch 24, 2017July 3, 20207 Comments

Craft Books, Creativity and Craft

Using Setting to Create a Three-Dimensional World for Your Story: THE URBAN SETTING THESAURUS

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

Rebecca J. AllenMarch 22, 2017July 3, 20203 Comments

Book Recommendations, Conferences & writing retreats, Creativity and Craft

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

Julie ArtzMarch 21, 2017June 21, 20173 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

First Pages: My Search for the Un-put-downable Start of a Story

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

Rebecca J. AllenMarch 6, 2017June 2, 201916 Comments