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I had some silly ideas about dragons, some controversial ideas about pets, and kind of wrote the first few chapters on a lark while world-building with another author. Then my characters wouldn't let me be. Now I'm trying to link all their disconnected little vinnettes into a cohesive tale...

sounds good, but you'll probably want a really good outline so you don't lose the thread of the main plot.

half-sitting?

An addendum: Remember, nature loves fractals, so squigly, bent, and crooked lines are great. You're not trying to draw a perfect circle, so don't worry about "mistakes".

Graph paper and colored pencils. Seriously. And speaking of a World Map, keep in mind that on a mercator projection E-W distances get skewed as you move away from the equator. I used a polar projection for my world and made northern and southern hemisphere maps (still skewed, but much less...

I always like the thought of being able to control probabilities. Depending on the scope, that could be everything from winning at gambling and saving cats, to influencing the weather, to determining if the sun shines. (thanks to quantum mechanics, everything is a matter of chance).

Are you going to eat that?

Really? Okay. You asked for it. Fix your first sentence. You overuse "in", have a tin ear, and don't know when to let a description speak for itself. To wit: "During mid-day in an early summer day in a small town close to the exterior border of the kingdom of Yehora in the top floor of an...

The practice your refering to is called the "infodump," and most "good" fantasy and sci-fi authors don't do it. However, reading a "good" sci-fi work is often like sitting in a camera obsura and studying the image illuminated by some guy on the outside waving around a dim flashlight. It tends...

So, let me get this straight, F picks her husband, BCDEA, up from the bus station where he wandered while off his meds. On the way out to a restraunt for dinner, the couple encounters Victim being chased by Monster for Reasons. DEBCA kills Monster like it's simple while F comforts Victim, then...

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

Rule the world? Who has time for that shit? There is nowhere I'd rather be right now than shredding fresh pow down this 20,000 foot peak. Yeah, that's right, 20,000 ft. And yes, I hiked, and skinned, and mountaineered my way up here, cause guess what? Helicopters don't fly this high. Which...

I know. But I couldn't take any more of the mc fainting when he sees a cop, then waking up back in his flat and having a cup of tea. And I dropped WoT at Winter's Heart because I just didn't give a damn any more about Egwene's headache.

1. Go get really drunk 2. Fail to hydrate 3. Sleep 4. Take notes about your hangover.

Monologuing gets very boring very fast. I have dropped many a novel (web and print) because the author insisted on sharing a character's monologue, and I didn't give a crap. Do not write monologues. If you really, must, beyond the shadow of a doubt, feel the need to justify a characters...

The problem isn't truly "death flags," although there are some common ones out there (Hi Redshirts!), the problem is really plot armor. "He Who Fights With Monsters" and "Blue Core" are both good, recent examples of plot armor on steroids. Now, don't get me wrong, the ressurection of the hero...

I use a notebook for some parts, particularly notes and world building. I started out using vim (vi improved) for writing/transcribing my chapters, but ultimately switched to LibreOffice Writer for the formatting. My brain kinda shuts off when I look at a screen, so good old paper and pen is...

The psychology of serial killers is actually well researched. Unfortunately, the psychology of school shooter is much less so. If you want a good first place to start on factual information about a wide variety of mental disorders, their presentation, causes, and treatments, check out the...

That is rather obnoxious. I'd be really nice if SH could make your views of stories you author not count. It kinda defeats the purpose as is.

Well, I guess we could rehash all of ethical theory, but if you want a good example of good, lawful, and evil aligned characters, look no further than Les Miserables. And for those of you too lazy to read the entire tome (yep, I'm in that catagory... do not do serial writing like Victor Hugo)...