Preparation Is Worth a Pound of Proofreading
This week’s video talks about the biggest lesson I learned while writing Dreamlander and why I probably shouldn’t have had to learn it.
Pour on the Conflict
This week’s video reveals the varied layers of conflict we can choose to include in our stories—and why we want as many of those layers as possible.
Is That A Beautiful Sunset, or Nuclear Fallout? The Cuban Missile Crisis (Sponsored Video)
In 1962, a young boy anxiously watches the tension escalate between Russia and the United States during the Cuban missile crisis, and has his fears brought into frightening clarity.
How to Write Sympathetic Characters
This week’s video discusses a few ways to dig down to the sympathetic core of even the most uncooperative characters.
Are You Skimming Your Story’s Potential?
This week’s video talks about how getting all the obvious things right in a story isn’t always enough if you’re lacking one crucial element.
When Not to Use Your Antagonist’s POV
This week’s video highlights a specific type of scene that should almost never be told from the antagonist’s point of view.
Why Your Stakes Shouldn’t Be Too High
This week’s video cautions against raising stakes beyond the scope and established conflict of your story.
How to Keep Your Fight Scenes Interesting
This week’s video talks about the pitfalls of writing fight scenes in the age of blockbuster movies, as well as some tips for keeping the action tense and engaging.
When Not to Show the Action
This week’s video uses an example from Jim Butcher’s fantasy Academ’s Fury to illustrate how to avoid unneeded action scenes.
Yet Another Pitfall of Multi-POV Stories
In this video, K.M. Weiland discusses the problem of POVs taking up too much space with too few plot points.
