April was every bit the month I’d hoped, at least as far as writing was concerned. I completed the final review of my book series, drew a more complete-looking map to accompany it via some mapping software (future post topic for sure!), and continued to work on another rough draft. I also reviewed for oneContinue reading “Plans for May”
Author Archives: J. S. Allen
Formatting a Fiction Manuscript
This one’s been done to death I know, but there’s no harm in going over it one more time. When you give your work to a publisher, the editor will almost always expect you to follow certain conventions regarding the format of your manuscript, and in some cases it can make the difference between acceptanceContinue reading “Formatting a Fiction Manuscript”
The Process of Self-Editing
Editing and revising can be the most tedious or the most exciting part of the writing process. On the one hand, you’ve completed your rough draft (a stage many people never make it to) and are well on the way to finishing up. On the other hand, going over the same material again and againContinue reading “The Process of Self-Editing”
Ten Problems with ‘Watership Down: the Series’
Having recently reviewed it, perhaps the worst small screen adaptation of a book I have ever seen is the 1999-2001 series Watership Down by Alltime Entertainment and Decode Entertainment. I’m not speaking in terms of production, of course. On the contrary, the animation and voiceovers were on the whole quite good. However, as far asContinue reading “Ten Problems with ‘Watership Down: the Series’”
Happy Easter!
He is risen!Happy Easter Sunday, all. May the promise of salvation and eternal life ever be a ray of hope in troubled times. Have a blessed day.
Plans for April
March was a fine month. Certainly better than February, and possibly more productive than January. In it, I continued my ongoing rough draft, reviewed a couple more novels from my main series, and finished some interior illustrations for my anthology coming later this spring. I also found out that I had an article published backContinue reading “Plans for April”
World Building
The most important aspect of any book next to character is setting, for without it there would be no context for the story to exist. I would go so far as to say anywhere from one third to half of any story has to do with establishing the surroundings in which the action can unfold,Continue reading “World Building”
The Worst of the Worst: Making Believable Antagonists
Continuing from last week’s post on creating good characters, I will now give a look at how best to portray those characters who are often far more interesting: the baddies. For the most part, the same rules apply to making good bad guys as making good good guys: show rather than tell, make his/her problemContinue reading “The Worst of the Worst: Making Believable Antagonists”
The Best of the Best: Making Believable Protagonists
While not all protagonists are good, it’s true, they are nevertheless an essential ingredient to any story (with a few abstract exceptions). It might seem easy to make a lead character who is generally likeable, and for some it is. But for others, creating a character out of thin air who is both interesting andContinue reading “The Best of the Best: Making Believable Protagonists”
Plans for March
February was not all it could have been. The last week in particular had a lot going on (hence the lack of any substantial posts). However, progress was made on one rough draft and the first two books of my series have been reviewed as hoped. Yet another poem was accepted for publication by TheContinue reading “Plans for March”