Tag: writing
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Last Minute NaNoWriMo Tips
NaNoWriMo is about to kick off for this year. Come see what I’ll be up to and ways to make every word count!
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Setting Scene Goals and Intentions
Looking for a good way to amp up, play, connect, or just write your scenes? Why not start with scene goals and intentions? Today, I’m diving into what helps me to create scenes as I outline my book.
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Three Plotting Methods
Whether you are a plotter, pantser, or a hybrid plantser, plotting methods can help either in outlining or revising your story. Check out three awesome plotting methods that I’ve used and loved over the years.
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What Makes a Well-Written Character?
What makes the difference between a well-written character and a poorly-written one? Well here are some of the things my students said as well as tips to help you avoid the mistakes that many authors make when putting their characters into their stories.
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Making Prompts Work for You
Last week, I talked about different types of writing prompts in the hopes that it will help anyone looking for help getting ideas for their stories to realize that there are a ton of options out there for you. This week, I wanted to dive into a few helpful tips and tricks that I’ve learned…
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A Few Types of Writing Prompts
I absolutely love writing prompts. That’s why I use them in my classroom and have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them. I have written a number of stories using prompts, but I’ve come to realize that not everyone likes them or uses them like I do. Some of my students mentioned that they really…
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Finding Inspiration Through RAFT Writing
Put simply, RAFT writing is a creative writing exercise that was designed to make you consider different perspectives and formats for your writing. I use it all the time with my students and many of my students had a hard time grasping the concept the first time, but found it more and more interesting the…
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Attempting to use a Kanban board
Follow along as I show you how I created my first Kanban Board for July-Sept. and already have struggled with how I set goals.
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Cycles and Seasons
We all go through cycles of life, but so do characters in your book. Have you stopped to consider the way that these cycles can differ from your MC and secondary characters?
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Visual Inspiration
I’m a visual learner. I am the kind of person who used to be able to picture charts and images on a test from my notes. I didn’t learn how to use that to my advantage until well into my college career, though. Now, I use visuals to get inspiration whenever I need a story…
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The “why” behind your “what”
At the beginning of the school year, we got a talk from our area superintendent and he asked us all: What is the “why” behind your “what”? This was a really introspective question for me, and not only in the way that I look at my teaching career or lesson plans, but in the way…
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The Power of “No”
I recently started freelancing and picked up a few jobs that went fairly quickly. It was exciting and I quickly took on a larger editing project and a smaller, ongoing one. However, it was soon clear that the smaller job was actually a lot more work than I had anticipated, and, paired with tight deadlines,…
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Revision Part 2: Layering
Now that I’m knee-deep in the revision trenches, I wanted to share exactly how I go about my revisions and the way that I layer what I’m looking for as I read through my manuscript. When it comes time to revise your draft, it can seem overwhelming to look at all the words you’ve written…
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Revisions Part 1: Getting Organized
I’m finally in revisions! Cue fanfare and vacations and winning the jackpot! Okay, maybe not, but it sure feels that awesome. Until….I turn back around from my daydream and see this hulking beast of a manuscript staring back at me (one reason I took a break before jumping in to revisions). Does anyone else feel…
Leslie Arambula 