Magic shows up in more than just fantasy.
Read moreIs White Room Syndrome Taking All the Color Out of Your Fictional World?
One thing I’m consistently guilty of in my fiction drafts is “White Room Syndrome.” I’ll have pages and pages of dialogue with nothing to give it color or movement or sense of place. My scenes lack sensory details, leaving my characters floating in some sterile void.
If this challenge resonates with you, here are four revision strategies for eliminating white room syndrome and grounding your characters (and your readers) in space and time.
Read moreHow World-Building Shapes Character Development in Fiction
The environment you create for your characters and readers is more than a backdrop for your narrative; it actively influences your characters' identities, motivations, and growth.
Read moreWorld-Building Basics for Fiction Writers
With 50 exercises and prompts designed to help you build your fictional world — and then put it on the page — The Inkwell’s latest craft guide is designed to be practical and accessible for new and seasoned novelists alike.
Read moreAdding Meaning to Your Fictional World
As you build your novel’s world, do you consider what certain symbols, colors, or images might mean to or about the characters and their society?
Read moreWriting Prompt for World Building: Hammurabi’s Code
No matter how fantastical or how realistic, every fictional world has its own set of rules characters must follow.
Read moreWorldbuilding in Fiction, Disney Style
Building a world starts with clearly identifying what the story is about.
Read moreWhat A Christmas Carol Can Teach Us About How to Write a Book
More than just a fantastic holiday story, A Christmas Carol actually provides great examples for authors of some of the most common advice we hear about writing.
Read moreStarbucks in Westeros and Suspension of Disbelief
This is a world where nobody ever drinks anything besides wine and beer. Where the only dishes are metal and the only paper are the scrolls used to send messages via raven. There are no stores, no restaurants, no coffee meetings to discuss battle strategies. Caffeine, disposable dishware, to-go food and drink? Nonexistent.
Read moreWorld Building: The Dictionary of Imaginary Places
As a kid, I loved poring through the dictionary, revisiting worlds I’d been to and worlds I hadn’t. Today, I like to reference it when I’m helping authors develop their own magical places.
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