All Stories

Why Life Experience Makes You a Better Writer

When I was in my twenties, I read somewhere that a person can only become a good writer in their 40s. Naturally, I resented this statement immediately. For how can an old, bitter person—stuck in their ways with all the magic and positivity drained out of their system—make a better writer than a young person, full of originality (or so they’d like to believe)? One with an open mind and curiosity about life? But now that I’m nearing the big 4-0, I am starting to see the truth i

Dec 17, 20254 min read

What Is a Writing Voice, and How to Find Yours? A Practical Guide for Writers

Every writer has a voice. Here's how to identify yours through tried and proven methods.

Dec 10, 20254 min read

From “It’s Been Done” to “I Wrote It Anyway”: Why Your Book Still Has a Place

These days, it feels like everyone has already thought of everything; for any idea you might think is original, there’s someone out there who’s already thought of it, done it, and probably gotten rich for it. You can see it on social media—there are a million trainers, coaches, and people who want to sell you the sacred knowledge of the same thing that another thousand people are talking about. It’s the same with movies—you start watching one, only to realize halfway into the

Nov 26, 20254 min read

You Finished Writing—Now What? Deciding How to Publish Your Book

I finished writing two fantasy novels before I began the project of publishing one. Each one took about a year to write and another half a year to a year to edit. Considering those timelines, I thought that getting them out into the world would be a piece of cake—I mean, the real work was already behind me, right? But I was wrong. Few things are more satisfying than typing the last word that marks the completion of your novel. That moment when you know you’ve got the juicy, t

Nov 19, 20256 min read

Summoning the Inner Goblin: How to Critique Your Own Writing

There are two creatures residing within every writer—the inner mage and the inner goblin. One is creative, dreaming, and, at times, delulu. The other is critical, judgmental, and not very pleasant to be around (I also wrote about these characters and how to deal with them here ). Both of these creatures can be deranged in their own way, but both are also useful and needed to make you a good writer. Normally, it’s a good idea to keep the inner goblin—also known as the inner

Nov 12, 20257 min read

Making Evil Interesting—How to Add Depth to Your Antagonists

Every protagonist needs an antagonist. A warrior needs a monster to fight, a clever heroine needs an oppressive system to navigate, and a detective needs a maniacal mastermind to catch. Monsters and bad guys (and gals) are a must in every story, adding the challenges and obstacles your main characters must overcome. But when it comes to writing villains and monsters, it’s easy to fall into the innate nature trap—they’re bad simply because they’re… well, bad. Why is the demon

Oct 29, 20253 min read

How to Edit Your Book: A Practical Guide for Writers on a Budget

Writing a book is hard. Whether it’s getting into the habit of writing, coming up with ideas, or just finding the time. But it’s also the fun part—the creative part—and once that’s complete comes the phase every writer dreads (and if they don’t, they should): editing. On one hand, editing is empowering. It forces you to identify and solve problems, taking your book to the next level. It transforms your story from a messy manuscript into a (hopefully) polished novel. But it’s

Oct 22, 20255 min read

From "This Sucks" to "This Works": Why You Should Hire Your Inner Critic as Your Editor

In our era of self acceptance and care, it’s easy to label criticism as a bad thing. I mean, if we’re all winners and doing our best is enough, a voice that dares suggest you could try harder doesn’t stand the chance of gaining popularity. We’ve also talked about silencing your inner critic while writing ( here and here ) , because nothing kills creativity, and stops you from ever completing the manuscript of the novel you’ve always dreamt of writing, like the gnawing voice

Oct 15, 20254 min read

Swords and Manicures - Why The Strong Female Lead Has Gone Too Far

Being a child of the 90’s, I still remember a time when writing female leads who refused to await any savior and did the butt-kicking all...

Oct 8, 20255 min read

Dragons with Smartphones: Why Fantasy is Stuck in the Middle Ages (and How to Write It Differently)

The great hall doors swung open, and a procession of armed guards followed, heralding the entrance of Belrond, lord of the elven kingdom....

Oct 1, 20254 min read

Why You Shouldn’t Let AI Write Your Book (But Should Still Use It)

When it comes to AI, writers fall into one of two groups: those who embrace AI for its capabilities, utilizing it for idea generation, research, different levels of editing, and, in some cases, writing itself. The other camp opposes it completely and won’t even use the free ChatGPT version to spell-check. And for those who recognize AI’s potential, it’s easy to take it one step further and speculate—if it’s so powerful, should we let it write for us? That question—whether wri

Sep 24, 20253 min read