November is coming up, which means NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) has come again. In this an annual event, you take a month to write a story that’s 50,000 words long, the equivalent of a good-sized novel. This is a big task, so here are five strategies that may help you get through NaNoWriMo: …
Some time ago, I wrote an article on the idea that plot holes are necessary. That is, spend enough time looking at any given creative product and you'll find some plot hole that logically should keep the story from working. Recently I finished binge watching the first two seasons of the original Scooby-Doo series, and …
Continue reading Scooby-Doo, Plot Holes and Why They’re Needed
I've been fortunate enough to be in several writers' critique groups over the years. These discussions taught me plenty about what I was naturally good at, what I needed help with, and what it took to improve both areas. However, being in multiple writers' groups means that I've also seen plenty of ways you can …
A while back I wrote an article where I argued that most monster movies actually show the true monsters are normal people. I expanded that idea in a recent presentation to talk about any stories that create a "monster dynamic" -- stories which describe a community and contrast them against a person they all reject. …
I've tried to do a little bit of everything I can as a writer, including working on web comics and short films. Last week, I graduated to computer games by taking part in Taylor University's GameJam event, a contest where students create working computer games and compete to see who made the best one. I helped …
I've had the pleasure of speaking at several events at Taylor University, including presentations about C.S Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. I've also given some presentations within my major, Professional Writing. Yesterday, the professional writing students held one of its writing retreats. I got to give a presentation and take a few photos of the event: …
Continue reading Taylor University Writing Retreat Spring 2019
Some time ago I wrote an article for The Odyssey Online which were published and then accidentally taken down due to server issues. I haven't been able to get those articles live again on the Odyssey's site, but I was able to recreate them and post the new versions on my Steemit account. Here's one …
If you've enjoyed my past posts about books on art for small groups or best books to read about faith and art, I recommend checking this article I wrote for the Odyssey, "5 More Books For Small Group Studies On Christian Art": https://www.theodysseyonline.com/craig-j-hazen (I am not entirely certain why the URL says "Craig J …
Since my ebook Sunrise Over Beijing came out in March I've learned a lot about self-publishing and the common mistakes you can make. Here are 3 things I wish I knew before releasing my ebook. 1. Know How Much You Want to Make As of this writing, Kindle Directing Publishing offers you two ways to make money …
Continue reading 3 Practical Things I Learned From My First Book
You may have noticed that James Bond movies and Superhero movies share certain elements. In a recent Steemit post, I talk about some of those similarities. Check out the post here: https://steemit.com/superhero/@gcsalter/6-things-superhero-and-james-bond-movies-have-in-common
G. Connor Salter 