Tag: Writing
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Writing News
My apologies for the long silence. Am I still writing? Yep. Just not blog posts—for the moment. Here’s why: Just about a month ago, I finished writing the first draft of my fantasy novel! It clocked in at 122,000 words, which is a little longer than Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to give you a…
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My Cat, the Vampire Slayer
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any of my creative writing (unless you count Hermione Granger’s History of Magic essay), so here’s a short story for you. This is in honor of the new kitten my husband and I are getting in a few weeks—and hopefully not a foreshadow. My Cat, the Vampire Slayer…
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Hermione’s Homework: The Basilisk
Hermione Granger’s History of Magic essay on recordings of the Basilisk in ancient history.
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World Building: How to Bring a Reader Down the Rabbit Hole
I both read and write fantasy fiction, and one of the aspects I love the most about the genre is the world-building. The author gets to create his or her own world—come up with everything from biology and astronomy to scientific laws and the government system. There are a few different ways to introduce a…
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5 Grammar Mistakes You Should Never Make Again
I make a living writing and editing words—so naturally, I care about grammar. Why does it matter? You want your writing to look professional, whether you’re turning in an academic paper, a resume, a legal report or an email to your boss. Grammar mistakes reflect poorly on you. So here are five common mistakes that make…
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Is Character Development Necessary?
When we talk about a good story—whether book, movie or TV show—one of the quality criteria we often put forward is character development. What we mean by this is that the characters should grow to become better people over the course of the story arc. This makes sense. We want our heroes to learn something,…
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Whatever Happened to that New Year’s Resolution?
Remember that week between Christmas and New Year’s? Loaded down with gifts, parties and sweets, you were looking forward to getting back into the normal swing of things. Thus, you made a New Year’s resolution (or maybe two or three). The question is, did you keep it? The statistics for New Year’s resolutions are pretty…
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First Impressions: A Short Story
I’ve written quite a bit about other people’s stories, so I think it’s time to share one of my own. Below is a short story for your consideration. Please feel free to leave a comment—writing is almost always a work in progress, and I would like to hear what you think. First Impressions The first time…
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Writing as Art
During my final semester of college, I’m taking a class called “Vision, Voice, and Practice.” The painting and poetry professors have teamed up to teach it, and it’s offered for either upper division Art or English credit. That’s where the “Vision” (art) and “Voice” (writing) parts come from. The class has afforded me a wonderful…
Victoria Van Vlear 