Stephanie Tillman

writing-questions-answered:

Beginning a Story:

New to Writing
Advice for Teen Writers
Getting Better at Writing
How to Perfect Your Writing
Creating the Perfect Writing Space
Finding the Time to Write
Beginning a Novel
Figuring Out a Plot
How to Give Your Story a Purpose
Building a Story Off a Loose Timeline
Outlining a Scene
How to Tell if a Scene is Necessary
Outlining and Planning a Series
The Series Arc vs Each Book’s Arc
Brainstorming for Ideas 
Finding Focus During a Storm of Ideas
Turning Ideas into a Story
Finding an Entry Point Into Your Story
The Opening Line
The Opening Scene
Introducing Characters
Where to Post Fiction Online
Concerned About Plagiarism When Posting Story Online
What is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo Tips
Collaborating With Another Writer
Coming Up with a Title

Character Development:

Character Authenticity
Recognizing a Flat Character
Fleshing Out a Flat Character
Different Kinds of Antagonists
Strong Female Protagonists
Name Resources
How to Write a Witty Character
Tricks for Visualizing Your Character
Figuring Out Who Your Characters Are
Creating a Truly Evil Villain
Ethnicity and Skin Tone
Literal Skin Tones: An Experiment
To Kill or Not Kill a Character
Alternatives to Character Worksheets
Finding Your Character’s Voice
Keeping Character Personalities Separate and Unique
Good and Bad Reasons to Kill a Character
Emotionally Muted Characters

Copyright:

Referencing Other Works in Fiction
Using Real People as Characters
Fiction Based on Original Works
Plagiarism & Sharing Your Story Online

Description:

Describing Skin Tones
About Describing Ethnicity
The Great Ethnicity Debate
How to Make Simple Writing More Vivid
Describing Physical Appearance
Writing Fight Scenes and Elemental Magic
Horror by Daylight
Horror in Darkness
Describing Actions
Describing Clothing and Appearance
Fight Scene Resources
Battlefield Scene Resources
Battlefield Aftermath
Avoiding the Info Dump
Give Your Story a Darker Tone
Weaving Details Into the Story
Describing Architecture
Describing Everyday Settings

Dialogue:

How Much is Too Much?
Cutting Dialogue Down
Portraying Sign Language in Dialogue
Balancing Description and Dialogue
Writing Dialogue
Writing Accents
Translating Foreign Language for the Reader
Making Dialogue More Detailed
Reducing Name Tagging
Smooth Dialogue & Tag Help
Dialogue Tags and Punctuation
“Said” and Dialogue Tags
Getting Dialogue to Flow Smoothly

Editing:

Ways to Tighten Up Your Writing
Expanding the Word Count

Grammar & Style:

Writing Concise Sentences

Motivation:

Getting Back to Writing
What to Do When Your Story Stalls
Moving Forward When You’ve Lost Interest (In Your Story)
Finding Inspiration When You’re Stuck for an Idea
Take a “Vacation” to Re-Charge Your Creativity
How to Get Excited About Your Story Again
Beating Writer’s Block
Frustrated with Writing Quality
Getting Better at Writing
Staying Motivated

Plot and Story Structure:

How to Develop a Plot
Plot and Story Structure
The Prologue
Should I Cut My Prologue?
Writing a Dramatic Ending
Cliffhanger Endings
Chapter Titles and Endings

Publishing:

Where to Begin
Typical Word Counts 
Contests, cover letters, and Query Letters
Posting Novel or Sections on Blog
E-Books
What Agents Do and Why They’re Necessary
Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
Building a Writing Portfolio
Keeping Image Private
A Guide to Self-Publishing
Getting Published Abroad


Research:

Research Tips
How Much Research is Enough
WQA’s Guide to Internet Research

Romance:

How to Avoid Forced Romantic Sub-Plot
Kissing Scenes
Sexual Tension
Writing Romance without Experience
Subtle Signs of Love
Getting to Know Your Neighbor
Guide to Love Triangles
Delicate and Relevant Sex Scenes
Love at First Sight and the Stages of Love

Story Elements:

Tone and Theme
Suspense, Climax, and Ending
Conflict and Tension
Foreshadowing
Symbolism
Making a Point Without Tongue-Wagging
Writer Responsibility
Accounting for Lost Time in Scene Transitions
Flashbacks

World Building and Setting:

Establishing a Non-Traditional Fantasy Setting
Creating a Fictional Calendar
Creating a Language
Telling Time Without Clocks
Going Too Far with Fantasy?
Map Making
Creating Religion in a Fictional World
Cultural Appropriation
Creating and Naming Kingdoms
Setting Your Story in an Unfamiliar Place
Choosing a Setting for Your Story
Naming Things
Setting Your Story in a Fictional Town
How to Set Up an Oppressive Government

Writing Process:

How I Plan
Drafts
Timelines
Organizational Tools