Tag Archives: writing fiction

Pt. 3 Creating a B Story and Hitting a Meaningful Climax

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Jodi

This is the third part of the “Finding Balance in Storytelling” presentation originally given at Fyrecon 2, June 23rd at Weber State University Davis. Here are handy links to the other parts – Pt. 1 Why is too much action … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Concept Creation, Emotional Impact, Plotting, Writng Conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Magic Systems 101: Pt. 2 Hard Magic vs Soft Magic

Posted on September 13, 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 this series: Pt 1 – Why Write Good Magic? Pt 3 – Sanderson’s … Continue reading →

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Magic Systems 101: Pt. 1 Why Write Good Magic

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Jodi

This presentation was originally given at the Eagle Mountain Writer’s Conference held on Sept 9th, 2017. This is the first part of a five part series.  Here are handy links to the rest of the series: Pt 2 – Hard … Continue reading →

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Writing Suspense

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Jodi

The great thing about attending a conference is being able to sit and listen to different lectures about all sorts of different topics.  Even better, I get to use my notes to share what I learned with you, my dear … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Character Development, Emotional Impact, Writng Conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Insubordinate little devils, um I mean Clauses

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Jodi

As much as I would love this to be a awesome short story about rebel Santas (insubordinate clauses, get it? Oh forget it.), we’ re actually diving into that dense and unforgivable jungle that is Grammarland. Today’s Topic: Subordinate Clauses … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Editing and Revision, Grammarland | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

NaNoWriMo 2012

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Jodi

For a brief period this year I debated with myself about participating in this year’s NaNoWriMo.  As with any debate there were the pros and cons of a month-long writing torture fest.   Should I sacrifice what little time I … Continue reading →

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Discussion: The Tragic Ending

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Jodi

When we use the term tragic ending many stories come to mind, Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera, Ghost, Titanic, Moulin Rouge, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, just to name a few.  In these stories one or … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Concept Creation, Plotting | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Writing with your nose

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Jodi

Smell.  It’s everywhere we go.  It keeps us safe, helps us remember, it finds the goodies in the kitchen.  Yet, how often do we use this sense in writing? For the most part, thinking of a story as a series … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Concept Creation, Emotional Impact, Visual writing, Writing Exercise | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Discussion: Real vs. Imaginary Settings

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Jodi

After creating characters and piecing together a great story, the next important step is creating a believable setting.  Since I usually work in fantasy, I’ve never had to face the problem of using a real setting versus a created one.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Concept Creation, NaNoWriMo, Visual writing, World Building | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sword Anatomy 101

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Jodi

If you write fantasy epics, Arthurian tales, pirate stories, or Medieval historical fiction – chances are that somewhere in the story a sword will come into play.  Being familiar with the vocabulary is the first step to writing sword fight … Continue reading →

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