As we approach the start of a new year, you may be brainstorming goals to set for 2019. You may also be looking back at what you did—or didn’t—accomplish in 2018. If you’re like me, you probably didn’t check everything off your 2018 list. You may be thinking, “I need to work even harder next…
Author: Rachel Craft
Character Building with the Enneagram
A few weeks ago, I attended a workshop on the Enneagram, a method for analyzing personalities. Although the Enneagram is intended to help you understand yourself and the people around you, it also makes a great character-building tool for writers. Here are a few steps to get started using it. 1. Determine your character’s primary…
Crafting Unforgettable Atmosphere
Recently, I’ve been in the mood for a certain type of book—books like Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier, and the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud (all of which I highly recommend). They’re all dark, spooky, and supernatural. In other words, they all have a certain atmosphere. Atmosphere is…
6 Weasel Words to Cut from Your Manuscript
For the past three years, I’ve had the honor of being a first-round judge for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers annual Colorado Gold novel contest. This means I get to read and critique other writers’ first chapters and synopses. Every year, I’m amazed at how much I learn from analyzing these works, from plot structure…
7 Ways to Challenge Yourself at Conference This Year
The Colorado Gold conference is fast approaching! The weeks leading up to a conference are always exciting, and maybe a little stressful as you start packing, planning your schedule, and inevitably worrying about all the new people you’re about to meet. If conference is a nerve-wracking time for you, you’re not alone. I’m right there…