Author: experimentalfilmfestival

by EFR This might be a little grade school for some of you. Or you might think it’s a little grade school. Frankly, I think we could all stand to be reminded. So there you go. When you are describing something, it looks a certain way. Yes indeedy. We get that. We got it three […]… Continue reading How to Write With All Five Senses — A Writer’s Path

by David Ben-Ami Every reader loves a good villain, and most writers love them too. If you rack your brain about some of the most memorable characters in books, movies, and on TV, I’d bet more than a few villains pop up. I personally find antagonists fascinating. Sometimes I find them even more […] via The… Continue reading The Missing Piece – What Most Antagonists Lack — A Writer’s Path

by Andrea Lundgren This is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog-hop, designed to help encourage authors and foster discussions about writing topics across the internet and the world. This month’s question is, “Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?” This is actually a very applicable topic, because my other […] via Creativity… Continue reading Creativity in Editing: A Good or Bad Thing? — A Writer’s Path

by Max Florschutz Characters. There’s no force more central to any story you tell. Be it a run-and-gun thriller or a dramatic love dodecahedron, a tale focused around a lone wanderer exploring a crumbling city or a baker expanding her rivalry with a butcher (that last one sounds like a potential rom-com, doesn’t […] via Being… Continue reading Being a Better Writer: Character Development and Character Growth — A Writer’s Path

by Ryan Lanz Have you ever thought to yourself that your characters are in charge, and not you? I once heard an interview where an author discussed his characters as if they were the ones with the quill in hand, so to speak. He went on to discuss how the characters would occasionally […] via When… Continue reading When Your Characters Won’t Behave — A Writer’s Path

by Brenda Hill While writing my first novel, I attended a lot of classes and read tons of how-to books. “Show, Don’t Tell” was a mantra I heard from most writing instructors, and it’s a technique writers must master in order for the material to come alive in the readers’ minds. It’s also […] via Write… Continue reading Write What You Know: Sage Advice or Hogwash? — A Writer’s Path

by David Gittlin Comparatively speaking, writing a novel is the fun, easy, first step of the self-publishing process. The second step, creating an attention-getting book cover, offers its own unique set of challenges. However, the most intimidating and difficult undertaking, to most authors, is the third step—marketing. The word strikes terror in many […] via Can… Continue reading Can the Cold Case of Book Marketing Be Solved? — A Writer’s Path

by smwright Rewrites have a negative connotation in the writing world, and when listening to some writers talk about them, you’d suspect they were on par with a root canal! I’m well up to my head in revisions for my SciFi novel right now, but you won’t catch me griping about them. Revisions […] via Writers… Continue reading Writers Need to Rethink Rewrites — A Writer’s Path

by Rafal Reyzer You’ve heard that to become proficient at any specialized skill, you need at least 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. This view has been popularized by Malcolm Gladwell through his book The Outliers. The 10k rule has since been debunked, and we intuitively know that improvement doesn’t take so long. However, […] via How… Continue reading How to Apply the Principles of Fast Learning to Become a Better Writer — A Writer’s Path

by Lauren Sapala One of the first things a writer learns is about the power—and the challenge—of the rewrite. For those writers who assume that everything Ernest Hemingway wrote flowed perfectly out of his pen on the very first try, the illusion is shattered. The more experience a writer gains, the more they […] via 3… Continue reading 3 Major Types of Rewrites, and the Big Mistake to Avoid with All of Them — A Writer’s Path