Tag Archives: fiction writing

Pt. 2 Scene and Sequel

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Jodi L. Milner

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

LTUE: The Culture of Immortality

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Jodi L. Milner

Here for your reading pleasure is another summary of a panel presented at this year’s “Life, the Universe, and Everything” science fiction and fantasy symposium. Today’s post centers around a panel titled “The Culture of Immortality.”  On the panel were … Continue reading →

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Writing Exercise: Active Idea Search

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Jodi L. Milner

We hear it over and over, editors are searching for unique ideas and stories they haven’t read before. That’s the tough part, because it seems that most all stories have been told already. Or have they? Finding a new idea … Continue reading →

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Lighting the Fire for the New Year

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Jodi L. Milner

It’s a new year and it’s filled with brand new possibilities.  For writers, that might include setting writing goals. I’ve found that writers tend to be incredibly artistic free-souled people. This often results in the complete inability to make realistic … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspiration | Tagged , , , , | 4 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

You Call That a Sequel?

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

As a family we recently bagged our cable and are now at the mercy at what Netflix and Amazon prime has to offer.  This isn’t a bad thing. All the screaming that came with my kiddos seeing commercials for things … Continue reading →

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Writing Update

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

It’s been a few months since I’ve posted an update and lots of work has been done since then.  In the last update I had been struggling with making ends meet when I removed a redundant character and replaced him … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing and Revision, Personally Speaking | Tagged , , , | 7 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

Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Jodi L. Milner

If I were to ever teach a writing class, heaven forbid, I would have everyone read at least two different writing books written by writers.  It wouldn’t matter which ones either, because honestly they all say variations of the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Books and Reading, Inspiration | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments