Jayna Baas

@esther-c First, keep writing. The more you write, the better you will get.

Second, read a lot in the genres and writing styles you want to write. The more good writing you read, the more those rhythms of words will stick in your head.

Third, don’t stress too much over your transitions. Yes, good ones are important, but it’s much better to err…[Read more]

That is awesome! Thanks for this so much, I’ve already got a few ideas! Now I need to copy-paste this into my documents… 🙂

You’re welcome, @whalekeeper! Have fun with it!

When I get the chance, I’ll definitely check out the Signposts! 👍 Is it in a book or an article/website?

@esther-c James Scott Bell’s book Super Structure gives all the details. It’s not very long, and fairly cheap as an ebook on Amazon. His other book Write Your Novel from the Middle contains some of the same information but explores it in diffe…[Read more]

Now i want to see this method! it might be fun plotting one story I’ve already written….working backwards y’know?

@keilah-h Happy to share! Here’s a quick rundown of the Fourteen Signposts:

1. Opening Disturbance—something interrupts the hero’s normal world and sets the story in motion.
2. Care Package—we see how the hero cares for someone close…

[Read more]

Hey y’all! Just wanted to hear your thoughts. Which do you prefer: Wix or WordPress (self-hosted)? And why? Pros and cons and all that fun stuff.

@soleilnaia Definitely the self-hosted WordPress. It’s much more flexible and robust, with lots more plugin options, and it’s more effective for search engine optimization. Plus it’s probably cheaper…[Read more]

I’ve never heard of that before! Sounds interesting. I call myself a plantser[…]

@esther-c I love your word! I’ve also heard that called a tweener—“between” a plotter and pantser. I fall into that category as well. I used to just write one-line summaries for each chapter to keep track of where I was going, but my WIP got so unwieldy I needed s…[Read more]

I have HEARD of it (through you, I’m pretty sure…)

@freedomwriter76 I did a newsletter feature on it once, so yes, you probably heard about it from me. It’s one of my favorite subjects. 🙂

Ha, it’s the opposite for me.[…]

@mineralizedwritings, @keilah-h, well, no wonder I’m confused! I use the term plotting to cover both of those aspects and use outlining for the act of writing out my plot for future reference. I think that’s common to most books about writing. For instance, James Scott Bell and other writing instructors include…[Read more]

That’s all right. I’ve never had a true cinnamon roll charrie either–my guy characters would probably kill me if I called them that…..

@keilah-h—ha, yes. That is exactly the case. I can see their expressions now…

Never heard of it, but then again, I might outline but I never plot. If I plot, I can’t write it. It’s kinda the way I am…..

@keilah-h, @mineralizedwritings, okay, now I’m confused. I was not aware that there was any significant difference between outlining and plotting. Plotting is what you do to create an outline. Outlining is recording the plo…[Read more]

I haven’t heard of any of those songs or albums, but if they made it onto the island list, I’m sure they’re very good! 😁 I’ll have to listen to them! Same thing with the books! (Except, of course, the Bible) Yeah… procrastination. 😐 I think many of us could win that if we could ever get around to it… 😂 Stranded on an island, music version: 1.…

[Read more]

I have never heard of that, but then again, I’m a pantser and just recently began looking into plotting methods.

I’m a pantser too, or at least a very, very minimal plotter. I finally gave this a go when I was desperate for help with a story that was getting way out of hand. I love James Scott Bell’s methods because they work for pantsers, plott…[Read more]

@booksandbeakers, I believe my introduction post also vanished into the “pending moderation” void, which is why I may appear to have popped up unannounced. 🙂 I’ve also chosen the self-publishing/indie publishing route, and honestly, the formatting for paperbacks on KDP is not that bad. I did it myself in Microsoft Word, and while KDP told me my…[Read more]

@freedomwriter76 @mineralizedwritings

https://www.jeuneauthors.com/post/how-to-write-a-male-character

https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/writing-the-male-point-of-view

https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-better-fiction/writing-gender-specific-dialogue

I have never heard of it! XD I might look into it if I hit a rough spot.[…]

@mineralizedwritings, I guess outlining and plotting are two sides of the same coin. Or perhaps not? If you feel a rant coming on, I won’t stop you. Plotting has always been a challenge for me, so I’m just happy to have found something that works.

Are my optical apertures beguiling our gray matter or is there a newby to nettle?[…]

@power, I haven’t the foggiest idea what your optical apertures may be conveying to your cerebral cortex, but you might at least spell newbie correctly.

Hey Jayna! Welcome to KP! Sorry it’s taken me so long to say hi.[…]

Hello, @theloonyone! Thank you for the warm welcome. I’m always happy to answer questions, but I know firsthand how important it is to not rush into publishing. I’m forever grateful that no one gave me an Amazon upload button at the age of ten. Who knows what I might have inflict…[Read more]

Yes, I do agree that men and women are different in many ways, and I do understand what you mean. Thank you for clarifying exactly what you meant.[…]

You’re welcome, @freedomwriter76. I need to learn to clarify what I mean before I post it and start a discussion on it!

You said your male characters have to be led to talk about their emot…[Read more]