3 lessons from Writing the Weird, by JS Breukelaar on Litreactor
Francesco Francesco

3 lessons from Writing the Weird, by JS Breukelaar on Litreactor

I write weird stuff.

I’ve always been aware of it, even if unconsciously, but little did I know that other people wrote weird staff too, and some of them are really good at it.

When I saw the course “Writing the Weird” taught by the outstanding JS Breukelaar on Litreactor, I didn’t know what to expect, but I had to sign up.

And, oh boy, I was up for a trip.

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20 Questions to help you develop your characters (11 - 20)
Francesco Francesco

20 Questions to help you develop your characters (11 - 20)

The simplest, most common and yet effective way to outline a complex character is with a questionnaire. Try to Google it. No, really. I’ll wait. Done? As you might have noticed, there are millions of pages with lists of questions that vary from 6 to 300 or more; and I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve indulged in a ridiculous number of them.

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20 Questions to help you develop your characters (1 - 10)
Francesco Francesco

20 Questions to help you develop your characters (1 - 10)

The simplest, most common and yet effective way to outline a complex character is with a questionnaire. Try to Google it. No, really. I’ll wait. Done? As you might have noticed, there are millions of pages with lists of questions that vary from 6 to 300 or more; and I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve indulged in a ridiculous number of them.

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How to write your first novel
Francesco Francesco

How to write your first novel

During my first year of university, I decided I wanted to write a novel. So I thought about a story, opened up a word document and—BOOM—believe it or not, two years later the novel was still unwritten.

After years of writing consistently in the gaps of a busy life, I think I found a set of tricks that work very well for me, keeping my writing nearly consistent even during the most challenging times.

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The 5 stages of Novel Writing
Francesco Francesco

The 5 stages of Novel Writing

2021 started without a major project. I had time to polish a few short stories and learn more about the craft of writing, yes, but I was yearning for a new novel I could fall in love with.

You could say that, in a sense, I was grieving the absence of a worthwhile big commitment; something that would last for months, or years, and that required tons of research, frustration, euphoria, self-doubt and courage.

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How to Set Writing Goals
Francesco Francesco

How to Set Writing Goals

If you don't have a 50,000 words manuscript saved on your preferred cloud storage service, you have failed NaNoWriMo. You've set a too ambitious writing goal and for some reason, you couldn't deliver. Just like me.

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3 Lessons from Margaret Atwood’s Masterclass
Francesco Francesco

3 Lessons from Margaret Atwood’s Masterclass

Although it can be described as a beginner’s course, listening to her words and looking at her witty face when she makes a joke is worth your time. If you’re a fan, as I am, you can’t miss it.

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