When writers first venture into the realm of middle grade and young adult fiction, they often bring with them some bad habits and unhelpful misconceptions. Leave your baggage at the door, and follow these guidelines to start off on the right foot. DO capture the MG/YA voice Children don’t think the way adults do. They…
Category: Blog
Knowing What You Don’t Know (or Not Knowing What You Do Know)
Putting together the Western Slope workshops has allowed me to meet a lot of new writers. Just this last weekend we had two dozen writers attend, and nearly all of them were new faces. It’s amazing to know how many writers are around me when before I joined RMFW I thought I was the lone…
Give Your Characters a Sense of #Humor … by Rainey Hall
Just like a well-delivered one-liner, writers must have great timing and dynamics when their characters produce a sentence—or word—meant to be funny. timing noun the ability to select the precise moment for doing something for optimum effect Don’t forget—to show your character’s sense of humor—readers need to know the character’s usual personality, and/or the situation,…
Newsletter Conclusions – Worldbuilding!
I know that various RMFW writers have talked about newsletters, but this is my personal, particular (and perhaps peculiar – sorry, I’m having fun with the alliteration!) take on the business and pleasures of newsletters. I started (after many years, and AGAIN), a monthly newsletter last July, soon after I epublished my first novella (Lost…
A crutch, a hat and a nightcap
Memorable character tags from A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol is one of the most endearing, enduring redemption stories ever told. Written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1843, it’s now 173 years old and is still entertaining – and teaching us. It reminds us of the power and joy of redemption, and it’s…