What does it mean to be a millennial?
Francesco Francesco

What does it mean to be a millennial?

Before Tuesday, I knew I was a millennial, but I didn’t know how much I was one. I didn’t know how much that generational voice was embedded within me.

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Why you should read fiction in times of war
Francesco Francesco

Why you should read fiction in times of war

Reading has already been proven to be the best trick to play on your brain when you can’t actually do the thing you’re reading about.

Reading fiction, in particular, because of this superpower the written word has over our brains’ plasticity, is the best way to build emotional intelligence.

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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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