A Writer’s Tool: Note Taking
Earlier this week, I toyed around with this idea that I got a few months back. It all started while I was watching the Brandon Sanderson BYU lectures on YouTube (a great resource that you can access for free on his channel). In the lecture (I don’t remember which one) he talked about the writer’s…
The Importance of Chapter One (or the Prologue)
So why is the first chapter so important? The first chapter is many things, but it ultimately helps the reader decide if they want to keep reading. As writers, we want our readers to keep reading our story. The first chapter is our best bet at getting them to keep reading. So, what can we…
Why I Use the Three-Act Story Structure
There are many story structures out there. Now while I know of only a handful, I have already chosen the one I’m going to use for the rest of my writing (or until I become a lot more experienced and decide its not for me). I use the three-act story structure format. If you’re not…
The Music in Writing
I listen to a lot of music. A LOT of music. I listen to music while doing school, while I’m writing, pretty much if I’m doing something, music is going in the background. While I listen to the normal pop songs and such, orchestra music, particularly scores from movies and TV shows, have a special…
What is the Most Important Part of a Book? Act Three
If you have not read Part One or Two, start here with Part One and then finish Part Two here. So, we’ve reached the end. Act three. This act typically ends our journey with the characters we’ve grown to love. It’s a sad goodbye (unless Disney decides to reboot your series for a less than…
What is the Most Important Part of a Book? Act Two
This is part two in a three-part series. If you have not read part one, please do so here! So before this became a three-part series, I had originally planned on doing just one post on why the middle part of the book is so important. But, as I got to thinking I realized that…
What is the Most Important Part of a Book? Act One
What is the most important part of a book? It seems like a simple question, right? Well, it’s not. I will put a disclaimer before you start reading: the answer will vary from person to person and it can depend on the book. Books tend to be broken into three acts. Let me break those…
Why Do You Need Interesting Characters?
I have been thinking about this topic a good bit lately. Interesting characters. Why do we need them? Isn’t it the plot that keeps us coming back? In a sense, yes, it is the plot that keeps us coming back. But, in another sense, no, the plot isn’t what keeps us coming back. I recently…
Learning From Our Detestation
Unfortunately, I started my Chemistry class today. I have never been a big fan of Science in general, but have always done fairly well in it (I finished Biology with a 93% a couple of weeks ago). I have heard from friends and family that Chemistry is the worst one of them all. So I…
On Character Redemption
A trend I have noticed lately in storytelling, particularly Star Wars’ storytelling, is the redemption arc of certain villains. Quick Warning: If you have not seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker yet, spoilers are to follow. A noticeable twist that takes place in both Rise of Skywalker and Return of the Jedi is the…
Why I Write Epic Fantasy
I may not have specified which genre of fiction I write yet on this blog. I write epic fantasy. But why? What draws me to that genre first and foremost? Why not historical fiction or romance? Well, the answer is quite simple. I write what I read. My Dad once told me of an author…
Outlining vs. Pantsing
Hey everyone! This is my first official post on this blog, and I thought that there would be nothing more fitting than to do a post on writing. As a creative writer, I have discovered that there are two different ways that you can write stories, and both are equally effective. So I thought I…
Titus Watson 