You’re Going to Get Hacked!
As a new writer, you may not be able to imagine why anyone would want to hack you. After all, you’re a small-fry, a one-person
David Farland
May 16, 2017
David Farland: Story Doctor Writing Tips
Recent Writing Tips
Busting Your Editor’s Chops
Writers love to gossip about editors, agents, and publishers. Much of the time, that gossip is pretty harmless, but sometimes it can come back to
David Farland
May 11, 2017
How to Write a Damned Good Scene, Part 2: Who Owns the Scene?
Many new authors will open a tale by telling us about their character: “Johnny Appleseed was a nice little kid with red hair and freckles.”
David Farland
May 9, 2017
Ten Reasons Why I’ll Quickly Reject Your Story
This past week I’ve been judging Writers of the Future. Most of the stories come to us electronically, so much of my day is spent
David Farland
May 5, 2017
How to Write a Damned Good Scene, Part 1
Often while looking at the scenes a new writer creates, I take a look and think, Well, that’s pretty lame. So how do you avoid
David Farland
May 3, 2017
Being Culturally Appropriate
Lately I’ve heard a lot of people grousing about cultural appropriation. That’s where an author writes a story set in a world that he or
David Farland
April 27, 2017
Finding Your Theme
In brainstorming a work, you will often find that you want your characters to behave in certain ways. And as they grow and develop, you
David Farland
April 25, 2017
One Impossibility
If you write a novel set in the real world—whether it is historical or modern—you don’t have to worry so much about “creating” a world
David Farland
April 21, 2017
Dealing with Movie Producers
Many new writers imagine that they’ll never have to worry about having movie producers come knocking at the door, but that’s a big mistake. You
David Farland
April 19, 2017
The Perfect Story: Surprise
Lately I’ve been talking a bit about some of the attributes that one will find in a perfect story. One of those has to be
David Farland
April 13, 2017
How do You Create Your Career as a Writer?
So here are your action items:
If you don’t have an author website, build one and begin talking about how you are chasing your dream of being a writer.
On that website, capture the email addresses of visitors.
Make a list of family members, friends, schoolmates, and business associates who might also be interested in your work.
When you speak at libraries or conventions, make sure that you add to your list every single time.
A week before your first novel comes out, email your fans and let them know. Then send a second notice on the day that it goes on sale.
David Farland
April 7, 2017
Write Till it Shines
Today I was listening to author Nedi Okorafor—winner of the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy award, and she spoke of a method of
David Farland
April 5, 2017
The Perfect Story: Coalesce
A perfect story coalesces. Its many parts eventually form an organic whole that makes sense to the audience and reveals more than has been told.
David Farland
March 31, 2017
The Perfect Story: Escalate
The perfect story escalates smoothly from scene to scene, creating a sense of rising action. I’ve spoken before about ways that stories can escalate. There
David Farland
March 21, 2017
Protect Your Kitty
If you’re going to become a professional writer, you need to make sure that you can support yourself while you write your novels. That’s because
David Farland
March 17, 2017
