We remember the strange things. When we discuss science fiction, we marvel over the bizarre landscapes and creepy creatures that crawl from the author’s imagination. 

Suspension of disbelief, however, rests a heavier burden on science fiction than similar genres, like fantasy, that also parade the unseen through the eye of imagination. Inspiration and realism, however, are not as far removed as you’d think.

Continue reading Creating Creatures in Science Fiction at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

Writers want a lot of things. We want better tools, more
time to write, better concentration, and prose that drips effortlessly onto the
page. Goals help us achieve our ambitions, but not all goals are created equal.
Some may hinder or frustrate your development as a writer. If you have a
vision, and you’re ready to chase it, here are some tips for setting goals that
actually succeed.

Continue reading Writing Goals that Work at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

No writer gets excited about a critic picking at their writing—their soul. But feedback is necessary if you want to grow. Here's how to make the most of it!

Continue reading How to Make the Most of Creative Writing Feedback at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

How to juggle multiple writing projects like a pro

A blessed few writers sit down, write one story at a time,
and peacefully move onto the next. It’s orderly. It may even be ideal.
Unfortunately, it isn’t reality for most of us. Instead of an orderly line of
patrons attending the symphony, we have rowdy mosh pits of stories clamoring
for our attention.

Continue reading Strategies for Managing Multiple WIPs at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

Whether you have resolutions to fulfill or you’re plugging along as usual, the right writing prompts can help you start the new year strong. With that said, here’s a handful of ideas to get your fingers moving.

Continue reading Writing Prompts to Launch the New Year at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

It’s about to be a new year, which means it’s time to figure
out what you want and how you’re going to get it. Planning for your year in
writing is a bit like planning a road trip – it’s all about the budget. Instead
of budgeting time and money, however, you’re balancing time, focus, and mental
health. Here are a few tips to make the process smoother.

Continue reading Planning Your Writing Year at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

You start at the beginning and go from there – unless you
don’t. Contrary to popular belief, there are as many ways to write a novel as
there are novels. You can’t do it wrong unless you never do it at all. It’s a
nice idea, putting down a story in the way a reader will approach it, but the
process doesn’t always mirror the finished product.

Continue reading Alternate Ways of Writing at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

Writers, as a group, struggle with boundaries. We’re trained
to eavesdrop and pick private elements of our own lives for drama in fiction.
Our inner lives blur with our outer lives until they’re a single, messy
existence. When family and friends have expectations surrounding the holidays,
our inner writer demands we fulfill last year’s writing resolutions, and
seasonal depression is stealing spoons out of the drawer, it’s important to use
the pen for drawing boundaries instead of scribbling prose.

Continue reading Deck the Halls with Lots of Boundaries at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

By now, the non-writing world has been sufficiently informed
that no matter how well-intended, a notebook is rarely what a writer wants as a
gift. Notebooks must be carefully vetted by the individual (touched, flipped through,
sniffed, measured), be ready for immediate use, and shelved after use of the
first two pages.

Here are a few alternatives for those who love (or just deal
with) the writers in their lives.

Continue reading Fun, Funny, and Functional Gifts for Writers at Inkitt Writer's Blog.

Escapism is treated like a dirty word, and it’s smeared
liberally over anything that falls into a clear genre. The good news is, that
word shouldn’t bother you as much as it probably does. Many great authors touted
its value, and if your book provided an escape, then it clearly did something
right.

Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

Few folk in history knew their stuff like Tolkien.

Continue reading In Defense of Escapism at Inkitt Writer's Blog.