LIZORAE

I mentioned in last month's LFTM   post  that I've been reading John Flanagan's books. If you haven't heard of him, what are you doing? Get a life.  (I'm kidding.) John Flanagan  is an Australian author (*cough like me cough*) most famous for his series Ranger's Apprentice  and Brotherband . If you haven't read them yet, go read them. If you have  read them, Halt is the best and you won't change my mind.  For today's post, it's a new format. Instead of picking one thing like I did with the Freja Peachtree  trilogy or Zootopia  and expanding on it, I'm gonna pick a bunch of things I've picked up and go over them briefly.  If you like the first format better, let me know in the comments. But without further ado, here's eleven lessons from the world of  John Flanagan .  Read Part 2 here :  3 More Lessons From John Flanagan's Writings Bads 1. Swarthy bad guys.  First up, in almost every time our gang of rangers/raider...

Swear words have been around for decades. Centuries. Whichever one is longer. Take your pick. In the past, cultured society didn't swear. That was something left for less desirable company. Even to the 1900s, publishers still deleted any swear words from manuscripts. At any rate, it happened during Ernest Hemingway's time. But times are changing. Swear words are being allowed to stay in books. People everywhere are swearing.  Does this mean it's okay to write swears?  I do not swear. I do not like swearing. If you do, I'll respect that. But I understand that culture is changing and swearing can add a sense of realism. Not all characters can be perfect. So what to do?  Things To Remember 1. Swearing is louder on page than out loud.  Nowadays, it's rare to go somewhere without someone muttering some sort of profanity. If you're against swearing, it eventually becomes second nature to tune out these naughty words.  But when it comes to books, it's not that ea...

As authors, we often feel the need to pump content out as fast as we can. Maybe it's because you're being pressured by publishers. Maybe it's because you're being pressured by fans. Whatever the reason, the faster you finish things, the more you get done. The more you get done, the more money you make. The more money you make, the less work you have to do on other things which means more writing time. The more writing time, the- You get the point. When you're starting out writing, it's handy to have a few books you already have to set you up for that dream novel you've been wanting to write all your life. But how do you navigate the mess of deadlines to get your buffer book done in time? That, my friend, is a good question. Let's get to! 1. Start early. When you have a deadline to work to, you want as much time as possible to finish writing your book. Not only will it allow you to be less stressed, but it also increases the amount of time y...

What's one thing that makes you love a book? For me, it's if the book makes me cry. Weird? Maybe. But it means I'm invested in the character. Whatever happened has touched me. From the top of my head, I can think of three books that have made me cry, but that's besides the point.  It doesn't matter if the tears are because cracking up way too hard at a joke or because of a death scene. I still like the book. But today, I'm not talking about how to write funny. I'm going to talk about how to write sad. Without further blabber, here's three secrest   secrests secrets to heartbreaking scenes. Why is it so hard to type "secrets"? 1. Get yourself in the mood.  Source: Tenor Before you do anything else, you have to feel the heartbreak. Be  the heartbreak. This step is often overlooked because it seems pointless. I'm not an actor. No one's going to see me cry,  you say. To which I reply: you're right. No one'...