Fiction Genres General Info
(Republished from old site.) Genres and Subgenres of Fiction Writing When readers talk about different fiction genres, they use these designations to help them decide what to read next. When writers talk about genres and subgenres, it’s usually a matter of submitting the right story to the right publication or agent and marketing. Genres basically... Continue reading→
Horror Genre Basics
(Republished from old site) Anyone who reads or writes horror fiction or consumes it in video form understands what it is. Horror is a feeling of intense terror, dread, or EEK! Horror fiction needs to cause that, or it’s probably something else (or just bad). Of course, not everyone is afraid of the same thing.... Continue reading→
Tips for Writing Zombie Fiction – Injecting Life Into a (Un)Dead Genre
Zombies are dead. Actually, they’re undead, but many people consider this subgenre of horror fiction over. These tips for writing zombie fiction may help you follow your muse down the path of apocalyptic monster tales without boring the readers. First of all, nothing says you have to avoid certain genres or tropes just because a lot of other... Continue reading→
Create Interesting Plot Points to Avoid Squishy Middles
Quality books need well-constructed main plots that include enough details and twists and turns to keep the reader engaged through the middle of the book. Unfortunately, I have come across far too many stories that seem to lose their way or their oomph after the inciting incident and before the climax. Other stories have a... Continue reading→
Deadly Sins of Publishing: Vanity Publishers
Vanity publishers prey on unsuspecting and inexperienced writers who desperately want to ‘live the dream’ without doing a lot of the hard work of making that dream a reality. Mostly, they try to skip the hard work part due to simple ignorance (the nice kind where you just don’t know something yet, not the insulting... Continue reading→
How to Write More Every Day
It does not matter if you write for pleasure or profit. If you love writing, or simply need to do more of it for your business or job, it is possible to write more a day. Before you read the tips, however, recognize that you do NOT have to write every day to be a... Continue reading→
What the Hell Am I Doing?
I have a habit of letting dreams grow beyond all bounds of reality. While that makes sense for stories — especially in the fantasy and horror genres — it doesn’t work so well in real life. I’m the queen of procrastination, and my favorite method is planning stuff. My works in progress (WIPs) list is... Continue reading→
How Long Should a Chapter Be?
When somebody interested in fiction writing asks, “how long should a chapter be?” The usual answer is, “how long is a piece of string?” Once the person asking realizes that a piece of string can be any length, depending upon its need, they understand that there are no rules about chapter length in fiction writing.... Continue reading→