Browsing Tag

Setting

Writing for YA
Details, Details: How to Write a Rich Setting for Your Story

It’s incredibly exciting to have a new story idea. The characters develop in our mind and seem to be…
December 27, 2022
Writing for YA
Is Your Historical Novel YA or Adult Coming of Age

How do you know if you’ve written a young adult novel or an adult coming of age? What about…
September 27, 2022
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
the eight types of time travel

Time travel is a stable in science fiction. Countless books, comics, movies, and TV shows have used it as…
September 7, 2021
Guest Posts
7 Tips on Describing Surroundings in Your Novel

The story setting in literature describes the where and when of a character and action. The setting of a…
April 25, 2021
Romancing Your Story
Does Setting Matter in a Romance?

The short answer is YES! While falling in love can happen anywhere, the choice of your setting sets a…
January 23, 2021
Courting the Muse
How to Level Up Your Descriptions Through the Ancient Art of Ekphrasis

Some writers are blessed with a vivid visual imagination. Just by willing it, they can render scenes in their…
October 13, 2020
Writing for YA
Building a Compelling Fantasy World: Q & A with YA Author Amy C. Blake

It’s not always easy creating a whole world from scratch. Amy C. Blake agreed to give a few words…
August 27, 2020
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
How to Make Readers Feel At Home From Page 1

Have you ever walked into someone’s house as a first-time dinner guest and felt out of place? Ten other…
July 7, 2020
The Picky Pen
How to Edit Setting

As we continue this editing series how we can develop a great story, I hope you’re able to see…
May 24, 2020
Romancing Your Story
Location. Location. Location.

When I first visited upstate New York several years ago, I kept getting the feeling I’d been there before,…
May 23, 2020
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
World Building: What publishers Want

There’s something immersive about opening a fantasy or sci-fi book and feeling like there were hundreds of pages of…
April 7, 2020
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
Three Ways to Use History to Build Your Fantasy

Margaret Atwood is well-known for her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian first published in 1985. Her novel covers…
March 7, 2020
Courting the Muse
Why Your Contemporary Fiction Needs Worldbuilding Too

If you’re like most writers, worldbuilding feels like the province of sci-fi and fantasy authors alone. Sure, it’s crucial…
February 13, 2020
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
How Setting Can Be a Worthy Villain

It takes a spell-binding plot and evocative characters to create a memorable story. Some writers meticulously plan each plot…
February 7, 2020
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Research: Time-waster or Story-builder?

“I write fiction. Is research really necessary?” “… a novelist has nearly the same obligation for accuracy as a…
January 17, 2020
Romancing Your Story
“Setting” the Romance

What do you think about when you think of romance? Oh sure, there are the typical things like boy…
September 23, 2019
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Suspenseful Settings

Authors begin a new story by creating and building their characters—the hero, heroine, and villain, but shouldn’t we also…
November 17, 2018
History in the Making
Electrifying Fiction

The dark house looked lonely and foreboding as Ellen pulled the key from her reticule and fumbled with the…
August 20, 2018
Talking Character
Use Setting to Define Character

You can learn a lot about a person by visiting their house or office. A writer can use that…
April 17, 2018
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
Breaking Down the Worlds of Science Fiction

Which world, or sub-genre, does your novel belong to? Bookstores have general genre sections in which to categorize their…
April 7, 2018
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
Fantasy Flash Fiction 101- Laura Zimmerman

Fantasy Flash Fiction 101 Could you write a story in 500 words? What about 100? Flash fiction is a…
July 7, 2017
Talking Character
5 Character Development Exercises

Go shopping This non-writing exercise can help you connect with your character in a tangible way, by interacting with…
January 19, 2017
Dear Young Scribes
How to Choose, Develop, & Research a Setting: Part 2

Once you’ve chosen the setting of your book—which we discussed in Part 1 of this series—it’s important to spend…
July 21, 2016
Dear Young Scribes
How to Choose, Develop, & Research a Setting: Part 1

Setting is far more than the backdrop of a novel. It’s the environment that breathes life into a story. It…
June 19, 2016
Editing, The Critical Reader
Can a Novel’s Setting Come to Life?

by Alycia W. Morales Have you ever been reading a novel when it suddenly dawns on you that the…
August 24, 2015