This week’s question has been asked before, but it’s a good one for all of us to think about as we get inspiration all around ourselves. It’s from Grace:

How do I find and use inspiration from other sources without directly copying or stealing the idea itself? Is using part of an idea from someone else stealing it, what’s the limit, and what is…

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Another question about villains! We’ve gone over this topic before, but share your favorite tips about connecting to villains. This week’s question is from Ray.

I have a hard time connecting to my villains, particularly my guy ones! Do you have any tips for connecting for baddies of my story?

A fairly focused question here for the newsletter (from an author by the name of Victoria) but I thought you guys might have some unique input I haven’t thought of.

In my current story, the main character is dying and I’ve been struggling with writing Christianity into it. If he either has faith, and then loses it, or has no faith but becomes a…

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Question from Callie today!

How do I find time for writing when I’m working (online) and at school (online) and trying to survive all the time? Just some tips would be helpful…

Beyond figuring out where writing fits into priorities, do you have any time-saving or time-gaining tricks you use for writing?

Another character question! This time from Ariana.

What do you do when you dislike one of your main protagonists, or have fallen out of love with them– partly because they’re based on yourself? I’ve often considered the answer that maybe it’s not wise to base a character on yourself in the first place, seeing as the average person (young person…

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Question from Ethan this week!

How do I include side characters in a “Quest” story who seem to serve no purpose, but who without the quest would seem unrealistic?

Any thoughts, @princess-foo, @kristianne-hassman, @the-inkspiller, @naiya-dyani, @wolverinerm, @devastate-lasting?

I have an interesting discussion question posed by one of our newsletter subscribers, Madelyn.

I write in an older style of prose, older words and descriptions, often moving  slowly instead of the modern fast paced simpler prose. Does old prose have a chance nowadays? How can I keep it, yet still keep my readers hooked? Can old prose still hold…

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Another character question, this one from Kristianne!

I know that most people (myself included) often find energetic, active, and sassy characters (especially girls) more interesting than quiet and reserved characters. One of my main characters is quiet, more passive (although she definitely acts), and proper. How do I make her seem interesting,…

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This week’s question for the newsletter comes from Eowyn. 😉

How can I write characters of different nationalities in ways that aren’t offensive to people of that nationality?

@princess-foo, @kristianne-hassman, @the-inkspiller, @naiya-dyani

Another character question, this one from Emma:

I have a main character who comes from a well-to-do family and is well educated. When she is talking to characters who are not wealthy or well educated, she uses normal dialogue. But I want the dialogue between her and her family to sound educated and eloquent without being so wordy that my readers…

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How do you show emotion in a main character who is outwardly unemotional?

This question is from Kayla and it so much fun to tackle in writing. Grim characters; characters who seem to not care but actually do…their emotions tend to come off as more powerful. Why? And how do we do this?

Tagging a few people to get things started.

@mgtask, @wolve…[Read more]

Fun question from Livi today!

How does one go about foreshadowing that a character (who everyone thinks is a good guy) is evil/antagonistic in such a way that, if one is paying enough attention to the little details, one could quickly put two and two together and realize it? So that, if you’re just reading along, you and the other characters…[Read more]

What happens when parents don’t support your writing? This is a question for the next ‘around the coffee table’ discussion:

How do you write and keep yourself writing when your parents do not encourage you and sometimes discourage you? How do you find critique groups and improve without conflicting with your parents?