There are so many guides available on how to develop a character, but very few on short story characters. Often this is the case because developing characters for novels versus short stories isn't very different.
However, often people writing short stories can lose time developing their characters and therefore put off writing!
Read MoreWriting a short story can often be intimidating, even if you've finished a novel recently or some other grand project. Despite it's brevity, a short story is much looser in its structure and up for a lot of interpretation. Because of this, if you're struggling with short fiction, it becomes difficult to look to classic structure for guidance—even if you're writing a more structureless piece.
Plus, not only is the structure much different, but it also requires more efficiency with your words, which is why knowing how to write a short story outline can be a lifesaver for some in the brainstorming phase, and even great for writers approaching second and third drafts!
Read MoreWhen you talk to most writers, you'll find that they often discuss how difficult it is to write a novel. And in many ways they are right. Writing a novel is grueling. It requires endurance, patience, and a lot of persevering through your own ideas.
As a result, there are tons of resources available to writers on how to write a novel, but very rarely are there guides on how to write a short story step-by-step. Writing a novel feels like much more of an achievement than writing a short story after all. Plus, there are so many different ways to write a short story, far more than writing a novel in fact, that finding one way to do it that works for everyone is impossible.
Read MoreAt this point in the series on how to write a video game script, you’ve brainstormed your idea and built out the world, meaning you’re now ready to fill that world with characters.
If you aren’t sure what this is referring to or haven’t yet built out your video game world, be sure to navigate back to the first post in the series using the navigation below:
Read MoreNow that you’ve learned how to approach writing a video game script, you’re now ready to start building the world of your narrative and start bringing it to life.
Though you can write a novel without doing any world building, it is absolutely essential for video games, as that is how all players will experience your story.
You cannot explore a video game through the mind, through contemplation and through thought the way you might in a novel—there always must be something for your character (and player) to wander through for your story to be a video game and not a movie or a TV series.
Read MoreWhether you’ve been playing video games since you were a kid or have recently noticed them as an exciting new medium to tell your story in, you may be wondering how to write a good video game story.
After all, video games seem deeply complex and overwhelming—not to mention all the development work behind them. Is writing a video game on your own really possible, let alone a good one?
Read MoreIf you’re participating or have participated in NaNoWriMo, you know how hard those first few days of November can be, but also how exciting! Whether you’re writing the first few pages of your first novel ever or gearing up for your tenth piece, those first few days never change.
They’re tough and they’re grueling, but once you power through them, they’re so worth it and suddenly you feel like you can do ANYTHING as a writer.
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again when National Novel Writing Month is around the corner! For many people, this means finding the time to write a novel for the first time EVER. And instead of doing it alone, you do it with tons of other people going through the same thing on the same schedule!
However, what if you’re a storyteller looking to finally that great big “thing,” and that “thing” isn’t a novel? What if you’ve always wanted to write a television pilot or a play, but you haven’t yet mustered up the courage—or time—to write it yet?
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again when writers around the world prepare for NaNoWriMo – otherwise known as “National Novel Writing Month.” Taking place in November, NaNoWriMo challenges writers of all experiences to write an entire novel (or novella) in one month’s time, averaging about 1,667 words per day.
Read MoreVideo games have so many different things they can teach every storyteller. They can teach them about possibility in a narrative, dialogue options, and how to introduce the player (or reader or viewer) into the story.
Read MoreAs writers embark on their storytelling career, they eventually reach a point where they need to start marketing themselves, be it because the publishing company they are working with won’t do it for them or because they are self-publishing.
Read MoreWithout a doubt, the number one thing I hear discussed amongst writers is the question of how to be productive. I get emails about this constantly. “How do I keep writing?” “How do I finish my novel?”
The answer to these questions has never been a satisfactory one. I always just tell people the age-old adage that if they want to be a novelist or a screenwriter, the one and only thing they need to do is write.
Read MoreCreative Writing Coach and Storyteller | Serving creative writers who want to write novels, movies, plays, and video games – and helping them learn how to write all four.
Hey there—I’m E.M. Welsh and I’m a writer and storyteller based in Texas. In my spare time, you can find me reading books, watching TV and movies, and playing video games. I also cook a lot of food and dabble in a plethora of other hobbies.
I’m currently working on my first book, which I hope to have published in 2024.
This blog is basically a diary of what I’m up to, random musings, and progress updates on my book.
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