research

After the success of The Hunger Games, publishers and moviemakers were eager to recreate the success with other YA dystopias. However, none had the same kind of cultural impact. This workshop will tackle the issue of writing in dystopian fiction while trying to make your take stand out. In this...

The tarot is a visual, symbolic and metaphorical tool that offers a unique and fun way to approach character development, setting, conflict, and plot. In this workshop, participants learn to use the tarot for blasting through frustrating writer’s blocks, uncovering character quirks and secrets...

As writers, we like to think we know everything about our characters and the world they inhabit. But do we? I certainly don’t always recall those details—and definitely not when I need them most. Cue the dive down an internet rabbit hole for the next hour instead of continuing to write my draft...

Great fiction isn’t only make-believe. Incorporating facts (history, science, medicine, archaeology, etc.) can enliven and deepen a story, contribute to rich world-building, and establish trust between reader and author. Whether you’re writing a futuristic fantasy, a historical romance, or...

The basis of modern storytelling whether in print or on the screen, lies deeply rooted in the mythological tradition. Game of Thrones, Clash of the Titans, Thor, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Snow White and the Huntsman, Once Upon a Time, Grimm—all popular books, movies and TV series that have...

Readers love cops, but writing believable police and sheriff’s officers can be difficult if you don’t know the procedures cops use to defend themselves and investigate crimes. In this workshop, New York Times bestselling author Angela Knight and her husband Michael Woodcock, a veteran officer...

How to avoid: The historical novel that gets bad reviews for using an invention that didn’t yet exist The YA novel that doesn’t ring true to modern-day teenagers The nonfiction book that gets pulled for citing questionable “facts” The memoir that causes a scandal for fictionalizing.

We all have the curse of a story that yearns to be written. The Writer's Bane is a curse and passion, both a want and need to tell a story. In this volume, discover ways to use research to help creates and enrich your characters, world, and plot. https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Bane-Research-Valerie-

Before the book, before a writer types a word on a page, there is an idea. And behind that idea are the characters, the background, the location. Research is an important aspect of any story. Whether the writer prepares their background information before they begin to write the story, or if...