Poetry: Formal Poetry

When poetry is mentioned as a genre, formal poetry is usually the first thing that comes to mind. Things like rhyme schemes and iambic pentameter are often studied in schools, and formal structures are staples of the genre. Here are three formal poetry structures, with examples and how you can write your own. Haiku HaikusContinue reading “Poetry: Formal Poetry”

Storytelling: Cliffhangers

Everyone loves a good cliffhanger, right? Or do they? In my experience it depends on a few things, and while they can be effective tools to keep your audience hooked, there’s a time and place for them. Here are three considerations to make when deciding on a cliffhanger for your story, and how you canContinue reading “Storytelling: Cliffhangers”

Workshop – Developmental Editing

Note: The transcript is available below the video, and sorry about the varying volume. I’ll be using a different program to try mitigating the issue for the next workshop. Thanks for your patience and understanding! Hi everyone, and welcome to the first Author Rescue workshop! I’m Katy, and I run the Author Rescue site, andContinue reading “Workshop – Developmental Editing”

Update: Podcast Launch!

Hi, everyone! I have an exciting update today: Author Rescue now has a podcast! It launched today so it’s starting to appear on major podcasting platforms, and I’ve included details below for a few different ways to access it and other details. I’m so excited to start this journey, and I appreciate your support (andContinue reading “Update: Podcast Launch!”

Storytelling: Dialogue & Perspective

Writing dialogue is a huge part of writing in general. Whether you’re working on a novel or a screenplay or a web comic, it’s highly likely that your characters will need to interact amongst themselves, plus internal dialogue for the reader to follow along with your POV character. There are a lot of different approaches,Continue reading “Storytelling: Dialogue & Perspective”

Arcs vs. Tropes vs. Motifs

This post is now a podcast episode! You can learn more about the podcast in this post. I’m sure you’ve heard the words “arc” and “trope” and “motif” thrown around, but… what do they mean? What’s the difference? Is there a difference? Yes there is, which is why I decided to make a post aboutContinue reading “Arcs vs. Tropes vs. Motifs”

The Basics of A Story

This post is also a podcast episode! To learn more about the podcast you can visit this post. All stories can be broken into pieces and most of them follow familiar patterns. Here are the six most common structural elements of stories, and how you can use them for the most effect. 1. Exposition ThisContinue reading “The Basics of A Story”

Storytelling: Show vs. Tell

One of the most common pieces of writing advice that gets thrown around is “show, don’t tell” but there are countless variations of pushback against this (things like “show emotion, tell feeling”), and just as many authors who live by this rule steadfastly. So what does it mean? Why are the opinions so divided? Here’sContinue reading “Storytelling: Show vs. Tell”

Storytelling: Writing Downtime

Plotlines ebb and flow between action and downtime. No story can be packed full of action all the time or else it becomes monotonous and loses its effect, but how can we write about downtime or other slow parts of a narrative while still keeping readers engaged? Here’s what I’ve tested and found worked forContinue reading “Storytelling: Writing Downtime”

Worldbuilding: Religion & Belief

Religion and belief systems can be huge motivators in character design, so writing about them can help your characters seem more three-dimensional. It adds a new element to the driving why behind narrative progression and it’s also the perfect opportunity for worldbuilding (especially in fantasy). In this post I’ll be discussing how to create andContinue reading “Worldbuilding: Religion & Belief”