If you’ve hung around here at The Spinning Pen at all, you’ll know a fun fact about us that isn’t very surprising: we all LOVE to read.
Last week, Caleb talked about the Reading Only Challenge he’s embarking on, and I thought I would add a little writing tip to go along with his fantastic idea. Missed his post? Check it out at the link above. Continue reading
The bright lights blinded me as I walked into the tent…
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Focus of the prompt: Showing the five senses.
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Finish this prompt in 500 words of less. Post yours in the comments below!
#practiceyourcraft
#getyourbrainwriting
Nova & The SP Team
Photo by Becky Phan on Unsplash
Not the catchiest challenge title, I know, but I think it gets the point across. This challenge is pretty straightforward: stop watching Netflix, log off social media, and start reading.
I already lost about half of you. To the other half, thanks for sticking around to at least read why anyone would do something so preposterous. But you’ve been warned- you’re about to be challenged to do something that will benefit your writing career more than anything you’ve tried yet, and it’s not going to be easy.
…you might ask. Good question.
Pen Friends ~ The Lovely Debut Author of American Panda is our guest today! Welcome, Gloria Chao! Her first book, American Panda will be out very very soon, and you can get the inside scoop!
SP: Hi Gloria! Thanks for joining us. First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
GC: Thank you so much for having me! I’m so excited to be a part of your wonderful blog! I’m a young adult author based in Chicago, and I’ve been writing for the past five years. I write contemporary stories featuring Taiwanese-American teens struggling with identity, always with humor because life and books are so much more fun with some laughs. Continue reading
Pen Friends ~ Nova, here. In today’s post I wanted to share a) exciting news b) an international writing contest where you can make a difference c) a final note of encouragement…OK? Thanks!
This year, in May, I’ll host an International
Write A Novel Workshop
In Chengdu, China…
with BEST SELLING AUTHORS…
Lorie Langdon & Carey Corp
& Self-Published Amazon #1 Best Seller, Laura Frances, & Upcoming Debut author, Ellen McGinty!!
Check workshop details @ WRITE A NOVEL 2018
*This idea has been brewing in me for a couple years now, and wow, it feels good to see an idea become reality!
As for the amazing international opportunity, look down.
Free trip to Tibet by writing a 1-2 page story on the theme of transformation? Too good to be true?(It’s legit–I helped organize the contest.) The men who run Extravagant Yak Travel are my dear friends. I can’t express how awesome they are and how much they do for local Tibetans. The winner (s) get a pretty sweet deal and by just entering YOU get to help Tibetans too! So if you have a story to tell, get on it! They want to hear and spread it! You just might end up on the roof of the world!
Check it out @ Extravagant Yak
It was a small cave. Good thing I was small too. Now, if I could only get inside without anyone noticing…
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Finish this prompt in 500 words or less. Post your prompt in the comments or email it to us!
#practiceyourcraft
#getyourbrainwriting
Nova & the SP Team
Photo by Joshua Sortino on Unsplash
“She gets on my nerves…”
A reviewer wrote this about the protagonist of my first novel, Occidis. Nice, huh?
I’ve also received feedback from many readers who appreciate the very characteristics of the protagonist, Sophia, that seem to annoy others.
Several writers that I know have experienced this same situation. It’s hard to create a main character that everyone in your audience will fully appreciate. For every person who goes for the classic supernaturally athletic and brave protagonist with the aesthetic of an undiscovered model, there’s going to be a person wishing for someone who wasn’t quite so athletic or brave or ridiculously attractive.
But does every protagonist need to be likable? Continue reading
Writing is a balancing act of complements and contrast. When you’re strategic in your placement of flat and round characters, you can create a focused, textured story that feels grounded in reality no matter how many dragons crawl through its pages. Let’s begin with looking at what flat and round characters are.
In our relatively sheltered lives, pain is usually a passing phenomenon – injury or accident; sickness or disease. But what about those that live with daily pain? Those stuck in poverty, starvation/malnutrition, warfare or abuse? All of these should be present somewhere in our stories, even if they remain on the outskirts. Continue reading
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