You need to ensure that you're well read in the genre you're writing for, and learn to be able to make your own opinion on this rather than rely...
You can try - I'm sure most of us do so to some degree - but the big caveat is that you can invest in reworking a scene to brilliance, only to...
There are a lot of online articles written by aspiring writers, but the trouble is that it's the blind leading the blind. There are no absolutes...
Sometimes you're just missing something important - an insight, an understanding. There's no harm in simply putting aside and starting another...
I do like backstory, and like many others, I've often suffered the problem of sticking too much in. The way I've found to avoid this is to...
Heh, I do this a lot. :) What I've found helps is to throw in some conflict - make them argue. And think carefully about your character arcs as...
Modern stories tend to be character-driven. Making comparisons to film is unfair, because we are a species primarily driven by the visual...
Looks good if you need a focus on modern weapons. :)
In 1993 I picked up a book on writing, and ended up throwing it across the room at an early chapter on W diagrams. How dare anyone try to reduce...
The room should be filled with things that have emotional meaning and purpose for the character. I know you say you understand your characters,...
I need to ask - why are you throwing figures about if you don't understand them? If you're writing a story then any details about ocean depths...
I'm confused - are you aware that 65 million years ago the Deccan Traps - effectively covering nearly half of India - blew up in a massive and...
IMO most characters will use whatever suitable transport is available. The Darth Vader TIE Fighter is a visual example that is unlikely to...
On the one hand, I'd suggest you write what you know best - anyone can identify with feelings of terror, shame, and fear of discovery over some...
Honest Trailers is a big fave here as well, but I've watched a couple of Cinema Sins recently as well. :)
Not so sound a downer, but personality isn't character, but an expression of it. For writing strong characters, you really need to be clear on...
If you want to sound authentically mediaeval, then be careful about using modern Western ideas of sex and sexuality. If you describe anyone as...
IMO, anyone really serious about being published will read up about the writing process and try to understand all those basic errors that form 99%...
Reading fantasy fiction can inspire on structure, characters, and details. But if you really want to open yourself up to being hit by a big...
This is a really, really, good point. If fantasy is inspired by any period before the 20th century, then disease, deformity, disfigurement, etc,...
