Harry Potter, Spiderman, and The Lion King are all beloved stories of otherwise normal characters wrestling through trials and tribulations to transform into amazing heroes. Although they each have their unique characteristics, these stories follow a similar narrative pattern: the Hero’s Journey. The hero’s journey is a popular narrative structure first introduced by Joseph Campbell, and...
In a world that does not exist in reality, anything can happen. Pigs can fly, the sun rises in the west, and humans can be anywhere they want to be at once. However, in that obviously chaotic world of limitless possibilities, profound stories that would be loved by generations of readers can’t bloom. For a fantasy story to be successful, the plot is half of the fun and the charm. The fantasy part...
Expect some exciting new updates this fall… This year we’ve got some amazing updates we can’t wait to show you, and it all begins with a huge overhaul of the way we do things on our end. Our plan with our upcoming major update is to: Bring the mobile apps in line with our web/desktop versions. The mobile app was created as a companion app for quick on-the-go writing, so it’s...
This Travel Writer’s Guide To Bellagio was created specifically with the needs of a writer in mind. A traveling writer needs to know the history, where to find inspiration, a great place to write, and a great place to lay their head. That way all your energy can funnel into creating! History Bellagio has been a holiday destination since the time of the ancient Romans. The first record was from...
Writing seems pretty mundane; just string together words as the ideas manifest in your mind. However, anyone who has written more than a tweet understands that writing is more than just words. Writing is more than just words. Contrary to most people’s conception of writing (and creative work in general), writing is a skill that can be honed. It’s not a mystical gift from the gods; talent helps...
As a writer, you have your own quirks and idiosyncratic characteristics when it comes to writing. From the way you gather inspiration to the way you structure your stories, you are often a unique writer with different writing habits compared to the others. As a writer, you have your own set of idiosyncrasies that can be unique to you (and your kind). However, these characteristics can often...
This Travel Writer’s Guide To Amsterdam was created specifically with the needs of a writer in mind. A traveling writer needs to know the history, where to find inspiration, a great place to write, and a great place to lay their head. That way all your energy can funnel into creating! History Amsterdam was founded as a fishing village around the thirteenth century. The city was developed around a...
An orphaned peasant living from hand to mouth stumbles upon a weakly old man (who is revealed to be a great sage upon their death on Chapter 2), who prophesied that this measly peasant will someday save the world from the rule of the evil villain. With not so much as an explanation or a refusal (maybe a little bit until circumstances force them to go through the “only remaining way”), the peasant...
Urban fantasy is seemingly an oxymoron; how could magic, often depicted to be the thing of old fictional myths and legends, exist in a world as advanced and modern as the one we have right now? Yet that is exactly the premise of this widely popular fantasy subgenre: what if they were all real? What if the sphinx statue in your national park comes alive at the dead of night? Urban fantasy mixes in...
Science fiction is a broad and vast genre, with many existing subgenres having their own passionate followings and niches. A fairly niche subgenre with a very popular movie equivalent, military science fiction is an action-packed subgenre which often deals with a very real aspect of human civilization and history: wars. Military science fiction is more than just wars: it also deals with the human...
