Tag Archives: writing tips

Embracing Failure as the Key to Success

Posted on April 27, 2016 by J. Sevick

Why do you create? Maybe the answer appears easily to you, always ready and waiting somewhere between the steady rhythm of your heart and the tip of your tongue. To express yourself. To have fun. To share your wisdom with … Continue reading →

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Developing Ideas: One Path from Idea to Draft

Posted on September 3, 2015 by J. Sevick

You start with an idea, a glimmer in your eye, a shimmer in the void, a vague sense of maybe… It may be a single image, a lone character, an interesting what if? You poke and prod, squint and twist, … Continue reading →

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In the Trenches: Tips for a First Draft

Posted on March 6, 2015 by J. Sevick

So I’m writing again, which is… awesome. Scary, always, but awesome. But, as always, it means I’m in my head too much, constantly analyzing and worrying and working to psych myself up. I won’t say that writing is more of … Continue reading →

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Wish Fulfillment and the Mary Sue–Part Two

Posted on February 23, 2014 by J. Sevick

This is a follow-up to this post, which ends with the question: Can you write about wish fulfillment without creating a Mary Sue character? These are just some of my thoughts on the issue… The first and easiest way to … Continue reading →

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How to Use the Story Set-Ups–Part Two

Posted on January 8, 2014 by J. Sevick

In this post, I described four set-ups for stories involving a “supernatural element” (includes everything from an entire fantasy world to a single object; also includes science fiction elements from alien planets to advanced technology). That post primarily dealt with … Continue reading →

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How to Use the Story Set-Ups–Part One

Posted on January 4, 2014 by J. Sevick

In this post, I described four set-ups for stories involving a “supernatural element” (includes everything from an entire fantasy world to a single object; also includes science fiction elements from alien planets to advanced technology). That post primarily dealt with … Continue reading →

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First Draft Rules

Posted on September 25, 2013 by J. Sevick

So, I do have good news this time! I finally found the right beginning, the one that has set me on the track to getting this thing done. I’ve reached a farther point in this draft than in any of … Continue reading →

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Problems versus Doubts (Or, How to Commit, Part Two)

Posted on February 18, 2013 by J. Sevick

As I make my list of doubts in the ‘purge file’ for my story, it is incredibly hard to resist analyzing them. Even working to dismiss the doubts is still engaging your brain in analyzing and thus legitimizing those doubts. … Continue reading →

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Plotting Guides

Posted on February 6, 2013 by J. Sevick

Plotting is absolutely and unequivocally the hardest part of the process for me. Taking a jumbled mess of characters, settings, and half-imagined events and trying to organize them into something that resembles an actual story has always been difficult. But … Continue reading →

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Don’t Think. Just Write.

Posted on February 1, 2013 by J. Sevick

Don’t think. Just write. This should be my motto. I want it to be–I want it to be the shape of my career. See, my dream for my career (at least starting out) is that I just crank out draft … Continue reading →

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