Recent content by Bansidhe

One thing I love about One Note is you can "dock" it to the side of your monitor, so if you're writing in Word (or researching, or whatever), you can make (or follow) notes easily between the two.

I confess: I'm not crazy with a lot of my endings, and I am the queen of the "happy for now" ending as opposed to the "happily ever after". Does your hero know he's going to die (or at least strongly suspect it?) Can he leave a journal or letter behind explaining everything that other...

Personally, I'm tired of the "strong woman equals shrieking, demanding banshee" syndrome. I don't quite know how this got started, but somehow the idea of a strong female character giving a male hero hell, whining constantly about me, me, me, or doing nothing but complaining--or never letting a...

Oh gods, no. Misery is definitely NOT required. Writing does not have to be hard. It's as much craft as it is art, and can take time to hone and build, but it definitely doesn't have to be hard. And, really, if you've lost the joy of it (or never had it to begin with), then what's the point...

Sometimes jumping around helps if you're stuck somewhere--you never know if something later on will unstick you! Screenwriters write out of order all the time, so it's not at all unusual. I identify all my major plot points on a story map ahead of time, so that if I do jump around, I'm still on...

It sounds a little like you need to get organized (believe me--I've been there). First of all, know that Perfect is the enemy of Done. Writing isn't just an art--it's a craft, and there are several steps to any crafting process. Once you have a first draft in hand, you're going to do several...

I think the idea that you HAVE to write every day is a bit of a misnomer, personally. Many writers (even successful ones) have full time day jobs and life stuff that gets in the way of that. But just because you're not writing every day (I don't) doesn't mean you can't be disciplined about...

For me, part of the fun of the adventure is the possibility of romance (think of Bioware's games). And, when you think about it, isn't adventure itself a little romantic (if not in the strictest sense of romantic relationships)? Indy Jones always had his gal Friday, even if it was a subplot (if...

No matter how much we plan (or not), I think quite a lot of us come across those unexpected but magical moments of inspiration where previously un-thought of connections are made, or a character's motivation changes or become abundantly clear. I'm a fast drafter, so I make a note of the epiphany...

One of the many things I like about Scrivener is the side-by-side display option. I'll out my scene or chapter notes/outline in a text file in my research folder, and dock the file to the write while I'm drafting, so I stay on target. This especially helps when I'm writing out of order. Also, I...

I usually go with names from the real-world cultures I base my world building on, and where my characters are from within that world. Sometimes I'll to reverse lookup to find names based on a meaning I'm looking to convey, to keep the character steeped in the meaning or quality I'm looking for...

I think we all go through this once and awhile. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and recharge, or change our routine to infuse it with freshness again. Whenever I feel like this I take a notebook and go write somewhere where I wouldn't normally--outside, at a coffee shop, etc...

I use theme as the "spine" of my stories, but thoroughly in the background, informing conflict and character development.

The most effective use of back story I've seen is parceling it out as it pertains to the main events of the story, usually as an additional source of conflict. Flashbacks can also be useful, but in moderation. I would recommend watching the TV show Jericho to see back story done really well.

Take heart, Krunchee--there are no new ideas! Which is why, if you give a hundred writers the same idea or prompt, you end up with a hundred different stories. Uniqueness comes with the execution and the writer's voice. Case in point: in the novel I've been working on for years and (finally)...