One of the OMAM authors whose work you can find in our recent compendium.
What will the new year bring?
Last year was a huge year for me. Not with my writing, though that continued on at a reasonable pace. No, 2019 marked a professional turning point. Somehow, I scored a job that many in my field only dream about. The five previous years of seemingly random experience all came together to make me the … Continue reading What will the new year bring?
Reflecting on a Productive 2019
With the OMAM Compendium finished, and the holiday season slowing the work down a bit at the office, I finally have the chance to take a breath. A lot happened this year, mostly good I think. 2019 has been a lot more internal for me than past years. I didn't have much time to spend … Continue reading Reflecting on a Productive 2019
Of Metal and Magic Compendium One
The book is out now! There's an ebook and paperback version, but I recommend the latter. A lot of work was put into making sure the print product was perfect! If you've been wondering what all this "Of Metal and Magic" stuff I've been rambling about is, this is the best place to get an … Continue reading Of Metal and Magic Compendium One
Cover Reveal! (and an opportunity)
So it's all done. Here it is! Isn't that just lovely? Our cover guy is the best! So it's done now. I wouldn't be surprised if I sank 50-100 hours into the project, outside of just writing my own material. What with the commissioning of authors, guiding their work to fit the shared fantasy world, … Continue reading Cover Reveal! (and an opportunity)
FWTS – Episode 2
Hey all! The second episode of my and Richie Billing's podcast on fantasy writing is now out on YouTube and other podcast distributors, such as Spotify. In this episode, we follow the topic of fantasy tropes introduced in the first episode, but this time we show some examples of works which employed tropes in new … Continue reading FWTS – Episode 2
Vott Miniseries, Episode 6
Happy Weekend, Everyone! The latest episode of my Valley of Magic serial Dangerous Games is out! Head over to Altered Reality Magazine and check it out. The new episode is called "Final Positioning" and sets up the series climax. All the pieces are in place for the final move. You can find the episode here: … Continue reading Vott Miniseries, Episode 6
OMAM Anthology Status
If you've been wondering where I have gotten of to, and why I have been so quiet, all of that will become perfectly clear in the coming weeks. In short, my past six months have been dedicated to assembling my first anthology! Going in, I did not fully appreciate what it meant to be an … Continue reading OMAM Anthology Status
Being Thankful
There's a lot for me to be thankful for this year. It has been a long and eventful one, for many reasons. Of course, I am thankful for those of you who have followed me to this new website. It seems I lost most of my WordPress followers when I made the move. Sucks, but … Continue reading Being Thankful
REBLOG: The Dialogue Checklist
I’ve written about dialogue grammar and formatting before, but K.M. Allan does a much better job here. Pay attention to the part on “action beats.” I see a lot of writers getting that wrong.
Dialogue is an important part of any story and essential to get right.
Good dialogue can reveal twists, unveil character traits, motivations, change the direction of the story, and give your cliffhangers the perfect bite—I mean, who doesn’t love the final line of a scene ending in a suspenseful piece of dialogue!
While it’s up to you to perfect your dialogue, if you want to ensure it’s working for your words, double-check it with the help of this checklist!
The Rules
Use your search function to find every instance of quote marks (” or ‘), and as you look at each highlighted quote, check the following…
Spelled Out Emotions
While there’s nothing wrong with telling emotions, if you’re spelling out every single instance, use this check to shortcut your way to finding all that telling and convert some of it to showing.
Telling: “Get out!” Jenny shouted angrily.
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JM Williams 