Tag Archives: art of writing

Pt. 2 Engineering the Perfect Storm and Finding Balance

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Jodi L. Milner

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. 1 Visceral Experiences and Creating Award Winning Drama

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Jodi L. Milner

This is part one of the “Gut Punch your Audience with Emotion” presentation originally given at Fyrecon 2, June 23, 2018 at Weber State University Davis. Parts two and three are now available: Pt. 2 Engineering the Perfect Storm and … Continue reading →

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

Writing Exercise: Try Resetting Your Setting

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Jodi L. Milner

Sometimes scenes refuse to come together.  They are missing that element that makes them special and feel downright boring. Sometimes the characters or plot are to blame, if the conflict isn’t driving them toward a goal then you have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Exercise | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Writerly Quote – Holly Gerth

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

“Be courageous and try to write in a way that scares you a little” – Holley Gerth When it comes to putting words on the page, finding the right ones that will engage the reader and make your story compelling … Continue reading →

Posted in Emotional Impact | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Debate: Linear vs. Non-Linear Writing

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

There are several debates when it comes to drafting a novel. The most well-known debate is usually between plotters and pantsers. Plotters being those who outline and plan each chapter in advance and pantsers being those who wing it and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Concept Creation, Editing and Revision, Organizational Skills | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

The Tragic Backstory – When is it too much?

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

The other night hubby and I were debating over Doctor Who’s tragic backstory.  Hubby believes that having the Doctor be the last of a murdered species is over the top and unnecessary.  Having there be a possibility that there might … Continue reading →

Posted in Emotional Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Odd Writer Terminology: Mawkish and Maudlin

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

This installment of Odd Writer Terminology is inspired by a recent David Farland Writing Tip about writing emotions. If you haven’t subscribed to his daily emails, I highly recommend it.  He provides insights not only into the vast writing universe, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Emotional Impact, Language usage, Writer's Voice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fearing the Blank Page

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

  Starting something new is hard.  It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be trying painting with water colors, snorkeling, or crossing a rope bridge.  There always has to be that first stroke, that first plunge, that first step. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Concept Creation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Odd Writer Terminology: Character Foils

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

As with any occupation, fiction writing comes with its own set of unique and sometimes bizarre terminology complete with acronyms and words stolen from other trades. Most of these terms refer to specific literary devices. Today we are going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Development, Writer's Voice | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

One thing led to Another…

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

I’m a long time fan of the comedian Brian Regan and love his style and sarcasm.   Earlier this year we attended his show, “The Epitome of Hyperbole” and he did a routine about the phrase, “One thing led to … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing and Revision, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments