Category Archives: World Building

Pt. 2 Scene and Sequel

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Jodi

This is the second part of the “Finding Balance in Storytelling” presentation originally given at Fyrecon 2, June 23rd at Weber State University Davis. Here’s a handy link to part one – Pt. 1 Why is too much action boring? … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Character Development, Editing and Revision, Emotional Impact, Plotting, World Building, Writng Conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pt. 2 Engineering the Perfect Storm and Finding Balance

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Jodi

This is part two of the “Gut Punch your Audience with Emotion” presentation originally given at Fyrecon 2, June 23rd at Weber State University Davis. Here’s a handy link to the other parts of the series: Pt. 1 Visceral Experiences … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Development, Emotional Impact, Plotting, Presentation Notes, World Building, Writng Conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pt 3 Creating Fictional Rites and Rituals

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Jodi

The debut of this presentation is scheduled for Saturday, April 14th at the League of Utah Writers 2018 Spring Conference. This is the third part in the three-part series “Creating Fictional Rites and Rituals.” Here are handy links to the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Development, Concept Creation, Emotional Impact, Presentation Notes, Visual writing, World Building, Writing Exercise, Writng Conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pt 2 Elements and Levels of Ritual

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Jodi

The debut of this presentation is scheduled for Saturday, April 14th at the League of Utah Writers 2018 Spring Conference. This is the second part in the three-part series “Creating Fictional Rites and Rituals.” If you’ve missed the other parts, here … Continue reading →

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Magic Systems 101: Pt. 5 Create Your Own Magic System

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Jodi

This is the fifth and final part to the Magic Systems 101 presentation notes. The original presentation was given at the Eagle Mountain Arts Alliance Writer’s Conference held on Sept 9th, 2017. Want to read the rest of the series? … Continue reading →

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Magic Systems 101: Pt. 4 “Literary Magic Systems”

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Jodi

This post is a continuation of a presentation originally given at the Eagle Mountain Writer’s Conference held on Sept 9th, 2017. Don’t miss the other parts of the series: Pt. 1 – Why Write Good Magic? Pt. 2 – Hard … Continue reading →

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Writer’s Toolbox: Observation Notebook

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Jodi

When it comes to great ideas, many of us fall in to the, “this is so great, how can I forget it?” problem. Then we forget before we can apply the idea to our project, or jot it down somewhere. Sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Character Development, Concept Creation, Organizational Skills, World Building | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eating your Words – Using Taste to Further Your Fiction

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Jodi

Once upon a time we had a discussion about the use of smell in fiction and how it can evoke an emotional response.  Today we are going to tackle another sense that is easy to forget, taste. Taste is another … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Character Development, Concept Creation, Emotional Impact, World Building | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Know Thy Stuff – Why Research is Important

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Jodi

Has this happened to you? You are reading a book and starting to enjoy the story.  Part of the reason you chose this book is that it includes a subject that you are especially interested in.  The further you read … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Concept Creation, Editing and Revision, Organizational Skills, World Building | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Take Your Characters Somewhere Interesting

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Jodi

One of the larger drawbacks about writing fantasy is that the settings must be created.  Unless you are writing historical fantasy or  steampunk, the places where your story unfolds simply do not exist in the real world.  While this opens … Continue reading →

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