Writers in the Storm

1 week ago | writersinthestormblog.com | Jenny Hansen

by Jenny HansenMy day job involves helping businesses clearly define their brand, so they can turn their stories into money and clients. And do you want to know the most common request people approach me with? "Can you help with my marketing?" *shakes head* This is a common thread among businesspeople AND authors. Branding and marketing are two very different things, and yet I see people mix them up all the time. Even worse, they try to put the least important of the two at the front of the line.

3 weeks ago | writersinthestormblog.com | J. Scott Coatsworth

by J. Scott CoatsworthSometimes we writers get stuck in a boring backwater, with nothing exciting at hand to move the story along. That’s when this little sleight of hand trick comes in handy. Let’s say your characters are on a quest for the fabled Sword of Bighands. They’re sitting around a thick iron-banded wooden table at the Borderlands Pub, a dark, seedy, local hangout where you can buy anything from drugs to human slaves.

1 month ago | writersinthestormblog.com | Jenny Hansen

Every so often, we open the doors of WITS to our readers. It's our version of Open Mic Night where you get to take the stage. We like hearing what you're up to in your writing and, since we just made the turn into Spring, it seems like a great time to hear about new beginnings. Today, we'd love to hear your first lines for a new manuscript or short story. If that sounds daunting, give us the first line of your new chapter, or the first line of one of your favorite books.

1 month ago | writersinthestormblog.com | Jenny Hansen

by Jenny HansenGaining confidence is often difficult in many areas of our life, but for creatives, confidence might feel exceptionally hard. We create something tangible out of our own imaginations. Our "something" is typically judged by others as valuable vs not valuable. Creatives rarely know in advance how our creations will be received. We begin our creative journey with whatever gifts are innate, but then we have to build upon them. We spend weeks or months planning a project.

1 month ago | writersinthestormblog.com | James Preston

by James R. PrestonAcross the electronic gulf in the early years of the twenty-first century the Writers in the Storm web page was likely being watched keenly and closely by intelligences searching for ways to improve their art and craft of writing. With thanks and apologies to H. G. Wells, welcome to The Shadow Before, some thoughts on foreshadowing, and Mars. The beginning and ending link your story together. They help to make it a whole, instead of simply a series of incidents.