This is a true story:  I looked out my window this morning, as I always do while drinking my breakfast protein shake. In the heavier than usual wind, the prayer flags flapped loudly. Through the narrow gaps of brightly-colored material I saw a profusion of blooming tropical flowers. Behind them, a mermaid sat on her […]

Alex Bledsoe World building is a common concern among fantasy writers, since so much of what we do depends on the reader believing IN the setting. You can have the best story and great characters, and torpedo them all with an unconvincing and inconsistent setting. Of course, you can also go too far in the […]

by Susan Squires Reading is all about suspending disbelief. Readers stare at a two-dimensional piece of paper or a flat screen with glyphs on it and imagine they’re traveling to unknown lands and meeting interesting people. They treasure being whisked away from everyday life. It’s an addictive experience. As writers, we want them addicted to […]

by Fae Rowen Because I write science fiction, I have to immerse my reader in the most important facets of my story's world with the first words. When you add this into the requirements of an opening hook, portraying the "real world" of your characters, and setting up the inciting incident, etc., the beginning of […]

by Fae Rowen When Laura Drake originally suggested this topic months ago  I knew I would be on the "don't know" end of the throwdown.  Everyone else at Writers in the Storm writes about what they know.  With Sharla Rae's historicals, she researches and researches until she has notebooks filled with information.  Jenny Hansen writes […]