Please welcome Delilah S. Dawson, author of the new YA thriller HIT (www.hitbookseries.com), the popular BLUD series (for adult readers), and SERVANTS OF THE STORM. 2. Give us an intricate and compelling world that challenges your characters. Susan’s beautiful reef of corals and fans is the backdrop to every image we see, almost a character itself. Why should worldbuilding factor into character? Because your character is shaped by your world. Even if your story is set in our regular world, the small corner that you choose as the setting for your story will have quirks, unique beauty, strangeness, and difficulties. Your
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Monday Blog Game: Writing as Craft
When I first started writing, I didn’t realize that writing was a craft. At first, I thought writing meant just “telling stories.” My first completed manuscript attempted to tell a story – the fictional “history” of Borte Ujin, first wife of Genghis Khan. The agents who read the manuscript offered nearly identical feedback: great idea, solid pacing, interesting voice – but the characters seemed flat and uninspired, and the dialogue needed more action. I wrote another book, adding dialogue tags and descriptive adverbs–oh, so many adverbs. (I shudder to think about it, even now.) Once again, I was told my characters seemed two-dimensional,
Read moreMonday Blog Game: Writing as Craft
I didn’t originally realize that writing was a craft. I thought writing meant “telling stories.” My first completed manuscript attempted to tell a story I made up – the fictional history of Borte Ujin, senior wife of Genghis Khan. The agents who read the manuscript offered nearly identical feedback: great idea, solid pacing, interesting voice – but the characters are flat and uninspired. I wrote another book, adding dialogue tags and descriptive adverbs galore. And once again, I was told my characters seemed merely two-dimensional. It wasn’t until much later – years down the line – that I recognized the
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