@shadowwriter161 Hey there! Story Embers just released an article about confidence that I found super helpful: https://storyembers.org/5-ways-insecure-writers-can-build-the-confidence-to-be-creative/

A point that the article mentioned is that every first draft is messy – and that’s okay. I think that’s really important here that you flesh out…[Read more]

This is exactly my predicament 😂 because during Nano just yesterday I came to my romantic scene, and, not having the time to revise, wrote most of it pretty terribly and just went on. But I think I learned a few things, which I can share here:

1) Romance looks different in every book, so it can be a minor part of the overall story. I’ve read a…[Read more]

@sarahfi *looks up cultural appropriation*

I don’t think you need to worry. It’s like doing a retelling of a fairytale, legend, or Greek myth, which tons of people have done in Western culture (and which I am doing at the moment in my WIP). I think people would only be offended, like Archer said, if it looks like plagiarism, or just failing to be…[Read more]

@arindown Haha I’m a long way from that point… but when the time comes sure! xD

I think I came up with the concept of my Beast and was kind of fascinated by it… and then I realized that it was basically the story of Beauty and the Beast, which I also really like, and so I began to base my plot on it.

I think that’s a super cool explanation…[Read more]

@kayla-skywriter No problem! Good luck moving forward 🙂

@arindown Right now I’m working on a Beauty and the Beast retelling that’s a contemporary fantasy. How about you?

@kayla-skywriter No problem! I forgot to mention that the section on her website is called “How to Structure Your Story”.

I think a pantser is someone who likes to write spontaneously and do little to no planning beforehand. The ‘plotter” on the other hand, usually likes to start with some sort of outline before writing their story. I don’t think…[Read more]

@kayla-skywriter

Like Chelsea said, I think it’s super cool that you’re self-evaluating and wanting to take the right steps forward!

This actually happened to me these past couple of years, where I had a historical-fantasy that was too large-scale for me to handle. I started it, revised the premise, and then started again way too many times.…[Read more]

@daeus-lamb

Whoaa… this is so exciting. 😉

Personally, I feel like the first sentence could include a little bit of setting, like referencing the land that the story takes place in. Perhaps this could stand in place of “the world” which would help tie the reader’s mind down to a specific place. Also, it would keep the second “the world” from…[Read more]

@w-o-holmes Yep! Same… it feels like following the way that God has laid before us, whatever that might be.

Hobbiton feels very homey, and so I guess the picture + the quote also gives that kind of vibe.

@w-h-holmes I heard that Bombadil was featured in one panning shot of the landscape, but I have yet to find him. It sounds like the kind of thing the director would put in, though.

Yeah, we have similar food, as well as Northern Chinese food (mainly steamed dumplings) and a lot of Japanese influence (ramen, sushi, and bento boxes).

And the…[Read more]

@w-h-holmes Yeah, like any hobby that you pursue, you just keep getting better and better as you go along. I’m sure that your story worlds are enriched by the languages, too!

Apparently Tom Bombadil makes a few-second cameo in the films? But yeah, the books are huge so it’s really impossible to get every detail in, like the Scouring of the…[Read more]

@eden-anderson

I’m not sure there’s much for me to say, since I personally am pretty uninformed. But I think that in Christian fiction, mental disorders can come alongside spiritual issues, and perhaps a character struggles with both. I say this out of a struggle a few years ago when a period of irrational fears turned into a real soul-searching…[Read more]

@w-h-holmes Here’s the group chat, if you want to join!

@w-o-holmes Welcome!

*jaw drops* That’s a lot of languages. What fascinates you about making them? Because a lot of people admire Tolkien, but not everyone has the skills or… disposition, I guess, to imitate him in what he did.

A little introduction of myself: I’m seventeen, a Christian, and I live in Taiwan. I’m probably not going to pursue w…[Read more]

@valtmy

(Taiwan is another island region that regards itself as independent but is also officially part of China… but that is a story for another day).

As someone who hails from Taiwan, I’d say that we are independent, but not internationally recognized (because of pressure from China, a big world/economic power). So to kind of add to what y…[Read more]

@ethryndal

Yes, that scene with Bilbo…so scary. Arguably, though, it actually magnifies the power of Sauron (or maybe the ring) by showing how much of a hold the ring can have on people’s hearts.

One example of a villain that scared me was the Joker in The Dark Knight — the way he was always on top of things and one step ahead of the good g…[Read more]

@daeus-lamb Cool 🙂 FB and Hangouts both work for me — I’m excited to see how this is going to work out!

@anne-of-lothlorien Yes, it is 😀

And your first one is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.