Tag: Craft

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Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Conquering the Dreaded Blank Page (and other drafting tricks)

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 reviewed our treasure trove of pre-writing posts. Today we’re on to starting — and keeping going on — your first draft. You’ve finally arrived. You’ve got your coffee (or tea), your snacks, your favorite writing socks. Your writing space is … Continue reading MYC: Conquering the Dreaded Blank Page (and other drafting tricks)

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Richelle MorganLeave a comment
Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Research – Make Your Story Believable

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 a post on voice. This week, we’ll share our thoughts on research. Research can mean different things depending on the type of book you’re writing. Rebecca writes science fiction based in contemporary settings. Gita writes historical fantasy. You … Continue reading MYC: Research – Make Your Story Believable

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Gita Trelease2 Comments
Master Your Craft
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

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Michelle Leonard2 Comments
Master Your Craft
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

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Richelle Morgan4 Comments
Master Your Craft
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

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Richelle Morgan3 Comments
Book Recommendations, Creativity and Craft

Brandon Mull’s Creative Juices

Brandon Mull writes for boys using his relentless imagination and his scouting experience. He has written Beyonders, Fablehaven, and Five Kingdom among others. Mull says in an interview with Tori Ackerman, “I wanted to go to a world where there was a lot to discover, but still light and fun.” If Brandon Mull’s series appeal to every demand of one’s imagination, it’s because the author … Continue reading Brandon Mull’s Creative Juices

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Sussu Leclerc1 Comment
Creativity and Craft, Publishing & Promotion

Star in MG / YA Magazines

Although often not lucrative, magazine publications can offer you many benefits. They help your name get out there and stand out from the crowd of writers; they can give you a unique insight into the publication world; they can help you be more productive and serve as experimental pieces; they can help you connect with other authors; you might attract the attention of an editor … Continue reading Star in MG / YA Magazines

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Sussu Leclerc2 Comments
Book Recommendations, Creativity and Craft

Review – How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way To Improve Any Manuscript

In How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way To Improve Any Manuscript, James Scott Bell promises the reader craft secrets to shape great dialogue. As a writer juggling a full life, the phrase “fastest way to improve” catches my eye and I hit Amazon’s buy now button. When the book arrives, it’s a slim 135 pages. Was it worth the price? Will it stay … Continue reading Review – How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way To Improve Any Manuscript

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Eileen Schnabel4 Comments
Creativity and Craft

Craft Intensive: Building Backstory

As a couple of my fellow Pennies can tell you, I love to do a deep dive on characters’ feelings and motivations. In fact, one of my favorite things to do while writing and critiquing is to explore and uncover why the characters act the way they do. I’m also a firm believer in that old adage that the easiest way to know what someone is … Continue reading Craft Intensive: Building Backstory

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Richelle Morgan3 Comments
Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

Going Dark: How Do You Tune Out Online “Noise”?

After being almost completely disconnected for ten days this summer, I found it a bit jarring once I returned to my normal online-heavy life. I’m deep into drafting at the moment, and all that “noise” has been wreaking havoc with my ability to focus. Hearing about others’ progress, chasing the link to yet another craft article or agent’s wishlist, or just keeping up with the … Continue reading Going Dark: How Do You Tune Out Online “Noise”?

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Richelle Morgan1 Comment
Eight on Eight

8 on Eight: August Contest Feedback

Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s 8 on Eight contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. If your name wasn’t drawn from the Triwizard cup this time around, keep an eye out for when our next contest window opens at 8 PM on August 31st. Below, we’ve posted the first 8 lines from … Continue reading 8 on Eight: August Contest Feedback

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Kristi WientgeLeave a comment
Conferences & writing retreats

Fear, Fan-girling and Flambé: SCBWI Oregon Conference Recap

Recently, two of our Winged Pen members attended the SCBWI Oregon Conference. We sat down with them to talk about what they learned. What was the most inspirational moment of the conference for you? Richelle: Lately, I’ve been focusing on the joy of following my own quirky path – in writing and in life. So I was very inspired by Victoria Jamieson’s keynote, which was … Continue reading Fear, Fan-girling and Flambé: SCBWI Oregon Conference Recap

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Richelle Morgan5 Comments