Category Archives: Thoughts

Author Life: Confidence is Key

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

You really need to have confidence in yourself and your writing to get far.  We all have moments of doubt, but you need to retain some level of defiance in the face of bad reviews, stupid mistakes, and whatever else … Continue reading →

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Author Life: Time Is of the Essence

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

One thing we always wish we had is more time.  In the day, in the week, in the year, in life, etc.  This runs amazingly true with authors.  This is why you see so many people using word goals or … Continue reading →

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Author Life: Find Your Style and Own It!

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

The theme for this week is ‘Author Life’, which I’m guessing I wrote up while I was exhausting or a little buzzed.  I figure part of the challenge here is to figure out what I was talking about.  Anyway, there … Continue reading →

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So You Want to Have Married Characters in Fiction?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

Even though it isn’t very common, it isn’t that hard to make a believable married couple the central focus of a non-romance story.  I’m not talking about having their relationship be the focus.  That tends to run into the inevitable … Continue reading →

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Uses for Food in Fiction

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

I think many authors overlook the versatile uses that food can have in a story.  It doesn’t have to be the central focus like in the manga ‘Toriko’ where the entire story revolves around discovering new foods and recipes.  (Great … Continue reading →

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Building a Balanced Afterlife

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

There are so many parts to creating a fictional afterlife that works for your world and it’s different for every person.  You really have to work for believability, consistency, and impact if you want to include this.  To be honest, … Continue reading →

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Benefits of Using Darker Perspectives

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

Let’s just jump right into the list here.  The topic is why writing a few scenes that focus on the villains can help your story.  Again, you don’t see these very often unless the hero or a supporting character is … Continue reading →

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The Many Flavors of Villainy

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

Before I get into using a villain’s perspective, I do want to talk about how there are different types of villains.  Time and time again, I see people arguing over who is the better bad guy when the characters in … Continue reading →

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Do’s and No-No’s of Fantasy Languages

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

It isn’t easy writing fiction and delving into the concept of languages.  Many of us grew up with the humor of ‘Pig Latin’, which was so ‘cool’ as a child.  Now it’s barely uttered and probably on its way to … Continue reading →

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Lost and Rare Languages in Fantasy

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

One of the most common plot devices in fantasy is the ‘indecipherable language that has been lost to the ages’.  If not lost then hidden by something such as appearing under certain moon phases or need to be chucked into … Continue reading →

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