Research is a major part of writing.
Brain Break (English Class)

Research Your Work – Without Getting Lost in Rabbit Holes

Creating your own worlds, creatures, and characters is half the fun of writing. But you can't go off the rails crazy and do whatever you want and still expect people to join you on the ride. There has to be SOME crumb of reality there. And that means conducting research before you write. As onerous a task as that sounds.

Dragon Soul Press offers a rolling selection of anthologies you can submit to
Bag of Tricks (Tools of the Trade), Level Up (Yay!)

Finding Anthologies For Your Writing

You know the usual routine: Write a story, edit it, and then start the cycle of submitting it to various publications. But markets disappear. Or they close to submissions for one reason or another. And you're left wondering what to do. Well, why not try one of the many anthologies out there? You'll get to share the publication with other accomplished authors. AND see your story in print!

The Hawaii writing retreat offered spectacular views that were definitely inspirational
Flotsam and Jetsam, Photo Bomb

Pros and Cons of the Writing Workshop Hawaii Writing Retreat

"Writing retreat" sets the imagination on fire and gets writers dreaming of focused time with their laptop and notebook. Nothing but seclusion and time to discuss and hammer out trouble sections of their book or essays. And a retreat IS a dream come true. But there are downsides that no one ever mentions. So I'm here to offer both sides of that coin based on my recent excursion to Hawaii.

Writing a critique involves more than simply supplying a thumbs-up or thumbs-down
Brain Break (English Class)

How to Perform a Useful Writing Critique

Writers help each other out (or they SHOULD). And one of the biggest services is supplying critiques. But if you aren't familiar with best practices, you could end up doing more harm than good to your writing buddies. So let's review how to review a manuscript from start to finish, shall we?

You can use a fairy tale to start ANY story
Bag of Tricks (Tools of the Trade)

Fairy Tale Indices for Unicorn Writers

Plenty of stories take inspiration from fairy tales. And you can probably name the Grimm Brothers' basics. But do you know where they got the tales from? Or how many variations exist for every story out there? When you start diving into the history and themes of these favorites, you find startling nuggets you can exploit for new story ideas. Or you can simply learn something new!