Guest Post Directory
Sometimes I write on my blog. Sometimes I write on other people’s blogs.
Here’s where you’ll find a list of all my significant articles and interviews in one place.
Fantasy and Worldbuilding
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Worldbuilding and the Fictional Dream
Speculative Faith
Fantasy writers pull their readers out of the story when they make worldbuilding mistakes. Here’s how to think through rudimentary physics, basic logic, and normal character psychology.
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Make your fantasy world’s political map feel organic (with chaos!)
Jenelle Leanne Schmidt’s blog
Don’t fall into the trap of creating a neat-and-tidy world. Take a hint from the real world and add in some messy human chaos.
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Establish vivid settings without slowing your plot
The Write Editing
Your reader is far more invested in your story when she can feel white sand between her toes or hear the slosh of carriage wheels in the rain-soaked streets. Here’s how to make your settings come alive without interrupting the story.
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The best clean fantasy reads to take your breath away
Shepherd.com
I had a chance to wax eloquent (or more likely, fangirl) over some of my favorite works of fantasy, including The Last Unicorn and The Neverending Story
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Want to be a better fantasy or sci-fi writer? Here’s what you should read.
Emily Golus Books
We want to create something fresh and different for our audiences, but many of our ideas have their roots somewhere else. Here’s how to dig deep.
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Writing believable dialogue in fantasy
Emily Golus Books
You’re supposed to write dialogue the way people speak—but what about when you’re writing about people in a different time period, world, or even planet?
General Writing Craft
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The critical error that can make writers miserable
Emily Golus Books
Three types of writers and why one is destined to be unhappy.
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What your writer's block might be trying to tell you
The Write Editing
Sometimes writer’s block isn’t your enemy—it’s a helpful friend. Here’s what to do to get your story back on track.
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Avoiding cartoonish villains in fiction
The Write Editing
You want a convincing antagonist that raises the tension of the story, not one so goofy and unrealistic that he undermines it. Here’s how to make your story’s antagonists believable.
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Divide your book project into small, manageable steps
The Write Editing
Book-length projects can be abstract and overwhelming. Here’s how to break the project down into small, concrete goals that will help you move forward without panicking.
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Worlds come alive with sensory details
The Write Editing
As humans, most of us rely on sight more than any other sense. But if you really want to make readers feel immersed in your world, explore it through these other senses.
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The secret to being a confident Christian writer
The Write Editing
Going “all-in” on being a writer and making it a key part of your identity is a recipe for anxiety. Here’s why.
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I want to write a book. Where do I start?
Emily Golus Books
Let’s say you’ve got a great idea for a novel, a memoir, a biography, etc. but you’ve got little to no writing experience. Where do you even begin?
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Writing fiction for the joy of it
The Write Editing
You don’t have to “go pro” for fiction writing to be worth it. The real value of any art reaches deeper than that.
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Write what you know ... some of the time
The Write Editing
Writers are often told “write what you know.” But what about if you write fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, or (gasp) murder mysteries?
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Avoid these Christian writing conference traps
The Write Editing
Faith-based writing conferences are wonderful—but they come with a few potential pitfalls. Here’s how to avoid the traps.
Interviews
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"The book *I* needed when I was younger"
Interview with Adare Elyse
“My heart for Escape to Vindor is to get this book out to teens because it’s exactly the book I needed when I was younger.”
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Interview with a goblin
Interview with Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
Jenelle ventures into Vindor’s fairy forest to speak with Valshara, the goblin heroine of Crack the Stone. Things go badly.
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How I wrote Escape to Vindor (Live video)
Interview with Christine Kindberg
On this live Facebook interview I discuss my writing process (and mistakes) and why fantasy matters so much to me.
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The "Giddy Lurch" of good writing
Interview with Tabitha Bouldin
Random research I do, writing quirks, and how a good scene is like a jump.
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Why I almost trashed my first book
Interview with Wishful Endings
I nearly gave up on the early draft of Escape to Vindor. In this interview I what went so wrong and the difficult edits that allowed me to fix the story.
Photos are sourced from Pexels, Unsplash, or were created by me or my host bloggers. Photographers include:
Karsten Würth, Andrea Piacquadio, Clay Banks, Kevin Ku, Towfiqu barbhuiya, Alice Alinari, Siora Photography, Steve Johnson, ShanLiFang on Unsplash, Helena Lopes, Adare Elyse, Seven Shooter, engin akyurt, JJ Jordan, Kelly Sikkema