James Lyn

Zen and the Art of Telling Versus Showing

A common piece of advice given to new writers is to “show, don’t tell.” On the surface, it appears to be a very straightforward piece of advice. But in practice, [...]

How to Write Sex

Sex scenes can be intimidating for writers. Cultural taboos can get in the way of good research, and there is additional pressure in writing a scene which not only entertains [...]

Outside the Box: Bringing Life to Your Story’s Location

Location is often relegated to an afterthought, particularly in short fiction, where every word counts. But a thorough understanding of a story’s landscape can provide a great deal more than imagery, from mood to motivation – not to mention simply keeping the reader informed of exactly who and what is where. Learn here how to develop a location as thoroughly as any character.

Magnetic Sheep

Carthiun rolled swiftly down the corridor—although “rolled” was a euphemism it had adopted to describe the way in which dozens of tiny electromagnets switched on and off to propel it [...]

Saving Mary Sue

When writing fiction, one of the challenges is to create interesting characters whom readers want to read about. A well-written character is as important as any other element of [...]