Worldbuilding is part of any fictional story. “But wait a minute,” you say. “What about contemporary stories? You know, those set in the world of today?” Think about any fiction you have ever read. Even those that are as realistic and set in today’s world as anything out there. It’s not just fantasy or sci-fi … Continue reading Worldbuilding, Part IV
Creative Writing
Summer’s End
(C) 2019 JJ ShaunEnd of summer cooking. And just like that, it’s Labor Day, the “unofficial end of summer.” So, aside from it being a federal holiday and long weekend, what is Labor Day all about? In the beginning, labor unions brought about the end of tyranny by employers who used and abused their workers. … Continue reading Summer’s End
The Tools We Use, Part III
In the last few days, I've seen a few queries about what tools we writers use to create our “Great American Novels.” As with most choices, it really depends on the writer. Some writers pen out their entire story by hand, then transcribe it to the computer later. Others are lost without a keyboard of … Continue reading The Tools We Use, Part III
Learning from Those Who Came Before
So, I spent the morning researching a creature for my D&D campaign, and during that research, I found a reference to a Germanic “house pet” of myth (think Dobby). I so wanted to ask my mom about her experiences growing up with the Northern German legend, but I can’t. My mom passed four and a … Continue reading Learning from Those Who Came Before
Beating Writer’s Block
“Help! I have Writer’s Block! Woe is me! What do I do?” Staring at a blank page.(C) 2019, JJ Shaun I’ve seen this written out on the interwebs a lot in the past few weeks. So, what do you do when you have Writer’s Block? When I have a determined block—well, aside from procrastination, which … Continue reading Beating Writer’s Block
Nurturing Your Creativity
As children, we tell all kinds of stories. We talk to our imaginary friends, and they answer us. We take our friends on all sorts of adventures. But as we get older, we are inevitably yanked back to the "real" world by our family, friends, peers, teachers, bosses. Over time, if you don't use a … Continue reading Nurturing Your Creativity
Finding the Time
Summertime is my time of year. The air is warm, the sun is out later, and the landscape has exploded with foliage. When the Spring rains have finished greening up the scenery, I’m ready to crawl out of my den. This is the season when I find it the most difficult to make the time … Continue reading Finding the Time
The Tools We Use: Part II
I’ve been using Scrivener for the last month or so, looking for a way to better organize my larger projects. Part of the reason I’ve had to take this step is that I’ve promised the backstory of one of my characters to my Game Master. I had an idea some time ago about a sort … Continue reading The Tools We Use: Part II
Travel and Imagination
Tis the summer travel season. So, First Reader and I drove halfway across America to attend the graduation of my Eldest Granddaughter. Now, neither of us are fans of Tornado Alley. Frankly, we'd prefer to avoid that area of the country when Mother Nature is so active, but when an event as momentous as graduation … Continue reading Travel and Imagination
Tell A Riveting Story
One of the arguably grandest television events in history concludes tonight. A Song of Ice and Fire rates up there with The Lord of the Rings when it comes to enthralling story development, but what makes these stories the successes they have become? Well, in my opinion, they each bring something a little bit different, … Continue reading Tell A Riveting Story
J.J. Shaun 