You cannot go far into the writing community without stumbling across the phrase "show don't tell." Opinions on this topic vary. Some follow the guideline religiously: you cannot come out and say "Rainbow Dash was cold," but rather, you must always say what you mean without saying it: "Rainbow Dash's teeth chattered." Others will give you more balanced advice: use roundabout means (show) when you want to be vivid, and say it plainly (tell) if we need the bare facts and do not have time to

Read More

In the course of my adminship at Twilight's Library, I have received countless PMs from group members needing this or that. I suppose I should not be surprised: it is my job to take care of these things, after all. However, what never ceases to amaze me is the number of times I get PMs like this:

Hey SirTruffles,

Read More

The Twilight's Library incoming folder must be sorted. However, there is no rule to say which order the stories must be sorted in. Inevitably, some stories must fall to the bottom and pool in the dregs, while others get kicked almost as soon as they are submitted. Neither is a good place for a story to be. Here are the seven smudges I doubt you want on your story description:

Read More

Due to the bustle of assisting with the Twilight's Library contributor application revision and the subsequent application reviewing process, I seem to have let the weekly blog slip my mind. I apologize for this.

Read More

Summer is a time for action movies: multimillion dollar computer generated temples to Explodius, the god of fiery concussion. A good action movie can get your heart racing and fist pumping in the air. So why is it that with written action scenes, there are a sizable number of people who will read the first few lines and skip to the end? Read on for a few tips to prevent your action scenes from becoming filler. An explosion is a terrible thing to waste.

Read More

Shipfic is big business on fimfic. Lots of authors write it, leading to many admirers and, of course, many amateur attempts. After reviewing quite a bit of shipping, I would like to offer my two cents as to what works, what does not work, and how to approach the topic in the first place.

What is shipping, anyway?

Read More

I will be moving to a new location in the next few days. In the meantime, I will not have internet, so I am afraid I will not be able to post anything. With any luck, I'll be back by this time next week.

Hello all.

Read More

Authorial skill means your eyes know how to write as well as your fingers. When you look at your writing, your subconscious sifts through the words before you can think a single thought. They become discrete units of literature each with their own form and function. This is not something you can learn from a writing guide, but it is a phenomenon that we must be aware of. It changes how we must think of improving our writing.

Read More

Those who have been checking in regularly have probably noticed that I've been lax about connecting my "actor's perspective" blogs together. I've come to find that the "hey, I've got a bit of acting experience" flavoring has started to run thin. I've caught myself throwing it in for the sole purpose of fooling myself into thinking I've written something that fits with the series when all I want to do is put together a regular blog with a tangential principle from my acting manual. In effect,

Read More