3 Fun Challenges to Improve as a Writer

Writing is a hard hobby...or career...or school project. I don't judge why you're writing--it's hard no matter why that pen (or keyboard) is in your hands and that empty piece of paper (or writing document) is sitting empty in front of you! 😜 But learning how to write, or putting in the work to improve …

Short Story: Dragon-Silenced

Smoke rolled over the farmlands that early spring morning as Julie walked, head bent to the oddly warm wind, toward the barn. The sun attempted to stream through the haze but only succeeded in painting the land with a sickly orange light. The frigid atmosphere of the spring day mixed with the heavy smoke made …

The Pros and Cons of Titling Your Chapters

Chapter titles! When I was a kid, I loved reading chapter titles. I also loved putting them in my own stories--but my chapter titles were garbage! 😛 Some people love chapter titles, others hate them! So today I thought it would be a fun idea for a blog post to weigh the pros and cons …

Short Story: Provided

Hello hello, my friend! Today I have an exciting post for you. For a while now, I've been working on a short story. I wanted to try to make this one as polished as possible, so I took some time to edit it and have some other people read through it. Now, at last, I …

Snakeblade: A Choose Your Own Adventure Short Story

So some time ago, I wrote a snippet series on the Young Writer's Workshop Community. But it was not just a series of snippets from a story. It was a Choose Your Own Adventure style snippet series! Basically I would write a snippet of the story every single day, post it to the community, and …

Short Story: More Than Gold

This is a short story I wrote a few weeks ago. I thought it was good enough to share. I hope you enjoy! 🙂 "Mathis, come eat your breakfast!" Mathis turned toward the sound of his name, and his cheeks raised in a smile. He let the garden shovel in his hand tumble to the …

Short Story: Master of Patience

The ring of the thundering hammer blocked out all other noises in the blacksmith shop. Hensan turned to Rison, his partner in the shop. Hensan's old eyes, still sharp as ever, flicked to and fro along the anvil, surveying Rison's skilled fingers pressing down on the clamps that held the red hot bar of iron …

Tropes and Cliches: Which to Use in Writing?

Hey, everyone! Today I wanted to talk about the differences between Tropes and Cliches. I feel like some people don't take the time to figure out exactly what these are, and assume that they're the same thing. That is definitely not true. So let's jump right in! What is a Trope? A trope is a …

On Top

I sit at the very top of everything. Well, I suppose not everything. The sky is above me, stretching from horizon to horizon, its vast blue openness clear and freeing. A few clouds float above my head as well, light and fluffy. They must be light, I think, smiling, to be able to drift so …

Short Story: Prisoners of the Dark

It was dark. When Cillan opened his eyes, he felt like nothing had changed. He breathed in stuffy, humid air and let out a quiet groan. Are there hammers pounding my head? He pushed himself painfully onto his elbows and looked around. All was pitch-black. “Where in the kingdom...” Cillan began, but stopped abruptly. A …