On Writing – Page 7 – Liana Brooks

Archive by category "On Writing" (Page 7)

Quantity Creates Quality

Everyone knows the story of the pottery class divided in two groups… one was graded by how many pots they made, the other half was graded on how good the pot was. Inevitably, the students who were creating for quantity created better quality pots. Why? Because the more you do…

Sustainable Extra-Solar Living – Apex Predators and More! (repost)

Continuing last week’s post on sustainable living, definitions and why they pertain to writing. Biomass Majority Why you need these: This is my own term for all the creatures that fall in the center of the food web in an ecosystem. They aren’t at the bottom, but they aren’t at the…

Sustainable Extra-Solar Living (repost)

A few weeks back we set the definitions for an ecosystem. Now it’s time to look at some of the elements that you need to make a self-sustained society, city, or planet. Keep in mind that this is for writing purposes. As the author, you’re creating these elements. You can…

Sustainable Extra-Solar Living… kicking it off with some definitions!

Engineer: I need an ecosystem. Biologist: Okay, that shouldn’t be to hard. E: It shouldn’t, but the one I bought on e-bay is just a plastic box, there’s nothing organic in it…. B: You tried to buy an ecosystem? Do you know what an ecosystem is? E: Um, well, in…

How Long Does It Take To Write A Book?

*Originally published February, 2014, I have updated the Novel section to reflect what I’ve learned in the past few years.* How long does it take to write and publish a book? Answer: It depends on the book and the form of publication. Here are my averages: Short Stories – like…

Pacing Matters!

There are times as a reader who also happens to write that I want to quietly pull another author aside and give them some advice. Nine times outs of ten what I want to talk to them about is pacing. It’d be a quick conversation. “Sweetie, these are really fun…

NaNoWriMo Boot Camp Day 6: Set The Stage

One last day of boot camp and then you’ll be ready to write your novel like a boss! … okay, so let me be honest here: I could write more. You could do 31 Days of NaNo Prep. You could spend a year getting a novel together. You could skip…

NaNoWriMo Boot Camp Day 5: Motivation and Inspiration

Let’s practice a little visualization… You sit down in front of your computer on November 4th with 6,000 words written and the plan to write Chapter 3. You have your notes and your outlines. This is the perfect time of your writing day, and everything is how you need it…

NaNoWriMo Boot Camp Day 4: The Protagonist

What makes a hero a HERO? Some people like to think a hero is born special, a Chosen One with a destiny written in the stars. Some people think the hero is simply the right person, in the right place, at the right time. Maybe they’re both right. Either way,…

NaNoWriMo Boot Camp Day 3: The Antagonist

Oh, the antagonist. There are people who say the hero (or protagonist) defines the book. It’s certainly the hero that people remember. Frodo will not be forgotten. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker were role models for a generation. Harry Potter? He was such a famous protagonist they didn’t even need…