Precision
Writers of the Future Coordinating Judge and bestselling author, Dave Farland discusses why some stories just aren’t publishable and it usually narrows down to a few common mistakes.
Tag Archive for: Writing Tips
Breaking into Comics
/0 Comments/in Illustrator Articles/by Joni LabaquiJulius Schwartz had a long and distinguished career both in science fiction and in comics. And in this article he gives his tips for writers and illustrators who want to break into comics.
Writers of the Future: Playing the Odds
/1 Comment/in Writer Articles/by Martin L. ShoemakerA friend recently asked me about ways to improve your chances in the Writers of the Future contest. I thought it was a good question, and I thought my answers were a nice summary of lessons learned. So I decided to share them here as a simple set of “rules”
Spectacular Settings
/0 Comments/in Writer Articles/by Joni LabaquiI mentioned last week that when I judge a story, one of the simple things I look at is your setting. There are so many aspects to setting, here’s a look at just a few.
Imagination
/0 Comments/in Writer Articles/by Joni LabaquiNew York Times bestselling author and Coordinating Judge for the Writers of the Future Dave Farland gives tips on writing, taking up the subject of imagination and originality.
Character Traits
/0 Comments/in Writer Articles/by David FarlandNew York Times bestselling author Dave Farland gives tips on characterization in story writing including common problems to avoid.
Meet the Winners – Vida Cruz – 2nd Q 2017
/0 Comments/in Artist Spotlight/by Joni LabaquiWhen it comes to writing advice, many writers will tell you not to stop writing. I’m going to be contradictory for a bit and tell you that yes, you should stop—at the right time, for the right reasons.
The Problem of the “Told” Story
/0 Comments/in Writer Articles/by David FarlandI have talked about some of the most frequent problems that I see when judging for the Writers of the Future Contest, and today I’m going to tackle one of the biggest: the problem with “told” stories.
Your First Five Pages
/5 Comments/in Writer Articles/by Joni LabaquiA writer pointed out today that when you send a novel to an agent or publisher, they normally ask for the first five or ten pages, just so that they can gauge your writing skill. If those pages don’t grab the reader, it won’t sell. So, he wondered, what do I look for in those first five pages?
“Boosting” Your Prose
/0 Comments/in Writer Articles/by Joni LabaquiI earlier mentioned that when I used to write for competitions, I would make lists of ways that judges might look at my work in order to grade it. For example, some judges might look for an ending that brought them to tears, while another might be more interested in an intellectual feast. A couple of you asked what my list might look like. So here is a list of things that I might consider in creating a piece.