The most annoying thing about death is all the paperwork involved. Every morning, Lyle and I make the trip to the warehouse to sift through today’s files and see whose soul we get to summon and send into the light. “Harold Lassiter, aged eighty-six,” I read from the list of names. “Heart attack. Leaves behind… Continue reading The Deathworkers Agency
Tag: fantasy
The Candy Shop
The candy shop showed up near the end of April, planting itself in the abandoned yellow building on the corner of Millard and Oak Grove. By the time May drifted to a close, the boarded-up windows had been washed and lined with pink curtains and someone had planted a garden in front that inexplicably bloomed… Continue reading The Candy Shop
The Claire Witch Project
There are many things you can easily explain to your parents. Accidentally blowing up your uncle is not one of them. “You are so busted, Claire,” said my sister Lindsay, eying the singed curtains and the freshly made crater in my bedroom floor. “Wait until Dad finds out you were practicing transmorph spells in your… Continue reading The Claire Witch Project
How to Write a Book in 3 Months
Yes, it's possible. The first draft, anyway. If National Novel Writing Month didn't work out for you or was too rushed, try an easier goal of churning out a rough draft in 3 months. The idea is the same—you try to write a certain number of words per day—but the time frame is stretched out… Continue reading How to Write a Book in 3 Months
6 Ways to Open a Novel
One of the most important sentences in every novel is the first one. It hooks the reader in and tempts them with the story to come. There are multiple ways to open your novel, but here are the six most common and where they're most effective: 1. Give a general statement Seventy percent of the… Continue reading 6 Ways to Open a Novel
How to Make Your Readers Care
Conflict. Or, more importantly, conflict that matters. One of the most common critiques you hear about a work of literature is a variation of, "I liked parts, but the story didn't grab me." You might at first puzzle over what that could mean—were the characters not compelling enough? Was the setting drab? Was it too thematic… Continue reading How to Make Your Readers Care
5 Books I’ve Reread the Most
1. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones I was a huge fan of the Hiyao Miyazaki movie in middle/high school and thought I'd check out the book it was (somewhat loosely) based on, and it's influenced my writing ever since. The reimagined fairytale tropes, the odd bursts of magic, the goofy but headstrong characters, the… Continue reading 5 Books I’ve Reread the Most
How to Use Marketing 101 to Write Great Characters
Most writers don't think about marketing unless it's about how to sell your book, and even then they associate it with social media and getting the word out. But the crux of marketing delves into psychology and why we make the decisions we do. Writers can use marketing principles surrounding motivation, needs, and wants to… Continue reading How to Use Marketing 101 to Write Great Characters
Brighton Rose 