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I realized these key elements easily fall into the 5 W’s which we often discuss in non-fiction writing (particularly journalism.) Turns out they are just as important in fiction! What a big surprise… So we’ve got the who (character), what (plot), when & where (setting), how (POV) and a double serving of why (conflict and theme.)

This post includes some red flags for when we’re using vague, weak or completely unnecessary words. While leaving some room for interpretation in our writing can be good, not every vague moment is an effective one. And some words add no actual meaning, we’re just used to using them in speech, but spoken and written word require different things. With each CTRL+F suggestion, I’ve included some examples with a fix or two to create a more compelling statement.

In 2025, I finished my work placement, graduated from college, co-hosted a launch for the program’s short story anthology, and started a freelancing business. I also adopted a second cat, read more than twice as many books as I thought I could, and started taking better care of my mind and body.

Let’s talk about my first quarter goals and how I set them… I’m going to be honest with you, these goals are not exactly “SMART” or what many would consider good goals, but I know it’s going to work for me and I want to share that with you!  My goals are not as specific as they could be, some are measured by “done / not done,” they ARE achievable, relevant and time bound. Maybe they’re not as bad as I think they are when I really look at it… But that’s besides the point

Fill these cold, dark winter days with a little winter magic by using these winter writing prompts. I’ve put together some inspiration which pulls on the weather, holiday traditions and I've decided to add a little fantasy bend to some of them.

Everyone can write. That’s the truth. Now, can everyone write a flawless story the first time they sit down? No! Very few people, if any, can even write a flawless first draft after years of practice. That’s the trick, most of the writing process is editing and revising. So the first piece of advice I have is to just get some words on a page. We’re going to talk about ways to help with that, but this sentiment is key to start writing your novel, short story, memoir… you name

We’re heading back to school with this one. I’m sure we all remember the graphic of a roller coaster with the words inciting incident, rising and falling action, climax, etc, but do you remember what it actually all means? Ready for a refresher before we dive into some more detailed story structures? Good! Jump to the video instead Introduction to the Classic “Roller Coaster” Structure This is usually referred to as the classic structure, but I always think of that handout we

Writer’s block is an inevitable state of being in a writer’s life, and it’s not just writers that get blocked. Sometimes it’s referred to as creative block to include all our artist friends whose canvases, staffs and lumps of clay remain untouched.You could even consider it akin to the Yips in sports. Don’t panic! Learn to work with and around your writer’s block because it’s bound to rear its head again.

“Show don’t tell,” is maybe one of the most ubiquitous writing rules. There is nuance to this, like all things, but for the purposes of this post, we’re going to look at some of the signposts that we’re not just showing things happen; we’re telling the reader they happened. With each CTRL+F suggestion, I’ve included some show don’t tell examples with a fix or two to create a more compelling statement.

A variety of prompts covering five styles and tones from Cozy & Warm, through Cool & Suspenseful, up to Horrific Halloween. Of course, I encourage you to break the rules and write a terrifying tale using a cozy prompt or turn a horrifying one into something wholesome.

Using a reverse outline can assist in the big picture editing of first drafts by giving you some space from the text itself. When we’re editing the text it’s easy to be distracted by the prose when we actually want to look at the narrative elements.

So, usually summer would be June, July and August, (if we're going by month vibe and not solstice to equinox) but I’m throwing in May since this is our first wrap up, and I started this whole thing on May 1st.

No first draft is perfect. The next step is the first of many editing rounds. With your first draft it will be important to avoid getting too into the nitty-gritty of grammar, or even style, because you should be considering big changes. There’s no point in wrangling your commas if you might not even keep that sentence, scene or chapter! So… where do you begin?

I’m not against daily word count goals, or word count goals in general, but I have a few suggestions for those that feel overwhelmed or discouraged by writing daily and fear the guilt of missing a day... I’m working on ways to set writing goals that don’t make me feel so horrible. And I want to share them with you! 

These questions will help you weed out editors that won’t be a good fit for you or your project as well as make sure you and the editor are on the same page with your goals and expectations.

Online has a variety of avenues for you to explore, and they each hold their own benefits and downsides. But first, let’s discuss what you should be searching for. In theory, you could search “editor for hire” and you’d get loads of results.

You’ve made it to a point in your writing where you think it’s time to get some fresh eyes on it. This might be your first draft and you want to work the kinks out with a large scale, big-changes edit, or it might be your nearly final draft, and you just want someone to look for typos and missing (or extra) commas; we all know how they like to weasel their own way in and out of our writing.

You quickly realize that there are a lot more types of editing than you thought and suddenly feel overwhelmed. “What type of writing is for me?”