Browsing Tag

writing craft

seminar-high-stakes-plotting

Seminar: High Stakes Plotting

You know there needs to be something at stake in your plot, but are those stakes high enough to keep the reader engaged?  Are the stakes getting higher as your story progresses?  Will readers be on the edge of their seats, so invested in what is happening to your character…

teen-writing-class-level-2-1-week

Teen Writing Class Level 2 (1 week)

Class runs July 22-28 from 10 AM -12:30 PM.  Requirements: Teen Writing Class Level 1 or Writing Instruction through another school/program.Sign up on the Writing Workshops Dallas Web Site.Welcome to our Writing Classes for Teens and Young Writers at Writing Workshops Dallas! We’re happy…

saturday-night-write-sticking-the-landing-creating-a-strong-resolution

Saturday Night Write: Sticking the Landing: Creating a Strong Resolution

Saturday Night Write meets on the third Saturday of each month to provide instruction and encouragement to writers in the community surrounding UT Arlington (and anyone else who wants to drive out to meet up with us).  Our discussion leader presents a structured topic and background research to spark interactive…

teen-writing-class-1-week-2

Teen Writing Class (1 Week)

Class runs July 15 – 19 from 1-4 PM.Sign up on the Writing Workshops Dallas Web Site.This is a workshop-style class in fiction writing, designed to provide a peer environment for teenaged writers (Grades 8-12). Led by Amber Royer, whose debut novel Free Chocolate was named…

fiction-for-young-writers-1-week

Young Writer’s Camp (1 Week)

Class runs July 15 – 19 from 10 AM-12:30 PM.Sign up on the Writing Workshops Dallas Web Site. This is a hands-on class in fiction designed to introduce young writers (Grades 4-7) to basic concepts in writing craft.  Led by Amber Royer, whose debut novel…

teen-writing-class-1-week

Teen Writing Class (1 Week)

Class runs June 24 – 28 from 1-4 PM.Sign up on the Writing Workshops Dallas Web Site.This is a workshop-style class in fiction writing, designed to provide a peer environment for teenaged writers (Grades 8-12). Led by Amber Royer, whose debut novel Free Chocolate was named…

saturday-night-write-seeding-in-literary-elements-to-make-your-story-feel-complete

Saturday Night Write: Seeding in Literary Elements to Make Your Story Feel Complete

Saturday Night Write meets on the third Saturday of each month to provide instruction and encouragement to writers in the community surrounding UT Arlington (and anyone else who wants to drive out to meet up with us).  Our discussion leader presents a structured topic and background research to spark interactive…

saturday-night-write-archetype-vs-cliche

Saturday Night Write: Archetype vs Cliche

Saturday Night Write meets on the third Saturday of each month to provide instruction and encouragement to writers in the community surrounding UT Arlington (and anyone else who wants to drive out to meet up with us).  Our discussion leader presents a structured topic and background research to spark interactive…

wordfest

WordFest

I’ll be representing Saturday Night Write out at WordFest.  I will also be on the panet “It’s a mystery to me: Working Authors describe the writing process.”  Come on out to see what’s going on in the DFW writing community! RSVP through the Facebook event.https…

saturday-night-write-aliens-and-anthropomorphic-characters

Saturday Night Write: Aliens and Anthropomorphic Characters

Saturday Night Write meets on the third Saturday of each month to provide instruction and encouragement to writers in the community surrounding UT Arlington (and anyone else who wants to drive out to meet up with us).  Our discussion leader presents a structured topic and background research to spark interactive…

worldbuilding-is-people
Musing, Writing Tips

Worldbuilding is People

Part of worldbuilding – whether you are writing an epic Sci-Fi story or a quiet romance – comes down to designing people.  Everyone is shaped by their surroundings, be they a small town in Montana or the confines of a space station.  Clothing, customs, economic structures – all of these were designed…

poetictechniqueforprosewriters
Writing Tips

Poetic Technique for Prose Writers

Blog Post – Poetic Technique for Prose WritersI love language.  The sound of words.  The way a pause can imply a character taking a breath.  The way a strong image can stay with you for days. The fact that I as a writer can tell you how my character feels…

the-freedom-of-the-first-draft
Musing, Writing Tips

The Freedom of the First Draft

I hope everyone survived NaNoWriMo.  How’d you do?  Even if you didn’t hit 50K, I hope you enjoyed the experience, especially if it was your first time.  And you now have more words than you started the month with.The thing I love about NaNo is the need…

i-gotta-be-me
Literary Terms, Writing Tips

I Gotta Be Me!

Character agency refers to a character’s ability to make decisions that affect the outcome of a story.  But it also refers to a character’s freedom to be themselves in the story world.  They’re going to want to walk their own path, wherever that leads them.It’s…

whos-your-protag
Literary Terms, Writing Tips

Who’s Your Protag?

If you’re writing a book with multiple viewpoints, sometimes it can be confusing to figure out who’s story this is.  You may have a character that’s fun to write, or one that feels like they should be the protagonist based on genre conventions.  But are they really…

chocolate-demo-at-writers-in-the-field

Chocolate Demo at Writer’s In The Field

I’ll be partnering with representatives from DallasChocolate.org to talk chocolate in a hands-on presentation at the second annual Writer’s in the Field.The event is intended to help local writers take their research to the next level, to improve their fiction.  They’ll have experts in…

seminar-managing-the-passage-of-time-on-the-page

Seminar: Managing the Passage of Time on the Page

Some stories take place in a matter of days, or even hours.  Others are multi-generational epics.  And yet, both need to fit into the number of pages you get for a book manuscript or screenplay.  So how do you manage the progression of time?  We will focus on utilizing…

saturday-night-write-discussion-how-not-to-write-dialogue

Saturday Night Write Discussion: How NOT to Write Dialogue

Saturday Night Write meets on the third Saturday of each month to provide instruction and encouragement to writers in the community surrounding UT Arlington (and anyone else who wants to drive out to meet up with us).  Our discussion leader presents a structured topic and background research to spark interactive…

seminar-writing-vivid-side-characters

Seminar: Writing Vivid Side Characters

You know you need a spectacular protagonist, facing off against an equally strong antagonist.  But what about all your spear carriers, love interests, sidekicks, mentors and henchmen?  They don’t always get much page space, so how can you use what you do give them to make them memorable?  We…

seminar-achieving-catharsis

Seminar: Achieving Catharsis

Catharsis is defined as a cleansing of emotions.  As a writing theory, it goes as far back as Aristotle’s Poetics.  But it’s actually simple to understand.   You know how sometimes you close the cover of a book or walk out of the theater, and you’ve laughed, you…

permission-to-laugh
Writing Tips

Permission to Laugh

I know they said not to take selfies with bears . . . One of the hardest things about humor writing is giving your reader permission to laugh.  After all, you’re putting your protagonist in embarrassing, and sometimes physically painful, situations.  The last think your audience is going to want is to…

saturday-night-write-discussion-creativity-exercises

Saturday Night Write Discussion: Creativity Exercises

Saturday Night Write meets on the third Saturday of each month to provide instruction and encouragement to writers in the community surrounding UT Arlington (and anyone else who wants to drive out to meet up with us).  Our discussion leader presents a structured topic and background research to spark interactive…

writing-the-things-you-want-to-read
Musing

Writing the Things You Want to Read

“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” – Toni MorrisonWith Free Chocolate coming out TOMORROW,  I’ve been thinking a lot about that quote.  If it wasn’t my series, The Chocoverse would still be…

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