So, you’ve been hitting it off with a new potential roleplay partner, when one of you drops the dreaded question: “who is going to write the starter?” Writing a roleplay starter is not unlike writing the first page of a story. It needs to be interesting, concise, and cover a lot of introductory material in[…]
How to Describe Burns in Writing
Researching traumatic injuries is not fun. Even if you can handle fictional characters in pain, reading up on real descriptions of gruesome injuries can be emotionally taxing. Because of this, many writers don’t do the appropriate research before writing an injury into their story, and the resulting scenes end up feeling inauthentic and scientifically questionable. […]
Romance Writing Prompts and Love Story Ideas
When you want to write, but you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel for new ideas, you can rely on writing prompts to generate new inspiration. This is especially true when it comes to writing romances. In addition to that, it can be disheartening to feel that the romance genre has been exhausted, and there[…]
Action Beats: What They are and How to Use Them
If you’ve moved on to editing the first draft of your story, you may have noticed the word “said” comes up a lot. Using the word “said” is the quickest and easiest way to indicate which character is speaking in a story, so many first drafts are simply riddled with it. Though “said” is useful,[…]
Show, Don’t Tell: What It Is and How to Use It (With Examples)
If you’ve read a few of the other articles on this site, then you’ve probably seen me state “show, don’t tell” more than once. If that’s the first time you’ve heard that phrase, then you probably aren’t completely sure what it entails or how you’re supposed to apply that to your own writing. Without good[…]
A Guide to Killing Your Characters
No matter what genre you’re writing in, there’s a chance you may end up having to write a character’s death scene. Killing your characters is not an easy thing to do—you want to make sure the scene carries weight, is emotionally charged, and can really devastate your readers. If you’re empathetic, you may even have[…]
How to Write a Character Bio (With Examples!)
If you’re starting a new roleplay (RP) or Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG), then one of the things you will be expected to provide is a character biography. If you aren’t familiar with writing character bios, then you might be a little stumped on what exactly needs to be included, and what is better left out. […]
Horror Story Writing Prompts: Chilling Ideas for Your Next Creepy Story
Writing horror stories is a blast, but it’s not always easy to come up with new ideas. That’s why I’ve put together another list of writing prompts—horror story themed this time! If you’re feeling monsters, ghosts, killers, or just mystery and suspense, then I’ve got you covered with these writing prompts. Take a look at[…]
What is a Prologue, and How is it Used?
Prologues are at the center of a lot of debate in the writing world. Many people claim that prologues should never be used under any circumstances, while others are proponents for using prologues to create a unique opening to their story. It is one of the most divisive debates in the creative writing sphere, but…[…]
Describe Crying in Writing—Without the Clichés
When your characters start to cry in your story, you want readers to be able to sympathize with them. When your characters are pouring their heart out, overcome by grief, or overjoyed at reconnecting with someone who they thought had died, the last thing you want is for your readers to be bored—or worse, rolling[…]
