how to write – D.N. Bryn

Plot progression: points, twists, and hinges.

By dnbrynPosted on October 17, 2020Posted in plot, writing articlesTagged how to write, plot points, plot twists, plotting, writing help

(And why hinges rock.) Please excuse me while I assign already well-loved terms new meanings for my own benefit. (This is to say, writing terminology means something slightly different or goes by slightly different terms depending on who you ask. Two of the definitions I use here are based ones that stuck with me, while […]

How to Write Non-binary Characters: Part III.

By dnbrynPosted on January 18, 2020Posted in characters, world building, writing articlesTagged how to write, how to write non-binary characters, lgbt characters, lgbt representation, writing help, writing tips

PART ONE: the basics. PART TWO: the nitty gritty. PART THREE: common pitfalls and easy fixes. Here we’ll cover some common situations where writing respectful non-binary characters can be trickier. Writing Non-human Non-binary characters. Non-human non-binary characters aren’t inherently disrespectful to non-binary people, but it can easily become negative representation when there are no non-binary […]

How to Write Non-binary Characters: Part II.

By dnbrynPosted on January 11, 2020Posted in characters, world building, writing articlesTagged how to write, non-binary facts, writing help, writing non-binary, writing nonbinary characters, writing tips

Visit PART ONE: the basics first! PART TWO: the nitty gritty. Non-binary in relation to Presentation. What are we talking about here when we say presentation? Presentation in relation to gender is how a person chooses to look, dress, and act in relation to their culture’s gender norms. A person who wears dresses and makeup, […]

How to Write Non-binary Characters: A Three Part Guide for Writing Characters with Non-binary Genders.

By dnbrynPosted on January 4, 2020Posted in characters, world building, writing articlesTagged how to write, non-binary characters, writing guide, writing help, writing nonbinary characters, writing tips

PART ONE: the basics. Disclaimer: While this guide is written by a non-binary person in collaboration with many other non-binary writers and readers, it does not necessarily cover the views of all people within the non-binary community. First off, what is this thing you call non-binary? Non-binary genders are any gender identity that isn’t covered […]

Surviving NaNoWriMo: A Motivational Semi-Guide.

By dnbrynPosted on November 3, 2019Posted in other, writing articlesTagged how to write, nanowrimo, national novel writing month

NaNoWriMo — also known as Nation Novel Writing Month, the month were writers everywhere attempt to write… well, a novel. The actual goal is to write 50,000 words by the end of the month, because 50,000 words is usually seen as the minimum word count acceptable for something to be considered a novel, even though […]

How to write a novel: a beginner’s guide to the basics of storytelling.

By dnbrynPosted on August 18, 2019Posted in characters, method, other, plot, writing articlesTagged how to write, writing advice, writing help, writing tips

First off, you have to know these two things: Your first draft of your first book will be terrible. All your favorite authors of all time wrote a terrible first draft of their first book too. Probably a terrible second and third draft, maybe even a terrible second and third book. This is okay. It can […]

Why Can’t I Stick to My Outline?

By dnbrynPosted on July 14, 2019Posted in method, writing articlesTagged how to outline, how to write, outlining, writing advice, writing fiction, writing help, writing tips

The inability to write what you’ve outlined plagues many of us, and it has many potential causes, some of which have workarounds, while others don’t. Here’s just a couple: 1. You don’t know your characters well enough when you outline, so when you write them, they make unexpected choices. Solution: Develop your characters through writing before […]

Writing: Hobby vs Career. (Spoilers: both are hard!)

By dnbrynPosted on July 6, 2019Posted in method, other, writing articlesTagged how to write, writers on writing, writing advice, writing encouragement, writing is hard, writing motivation

If you want to write as a career you’ll have to write on days you don’t want to. You’ll have to write when you aren’t motivated, when you aren’t in the mood, when writing isn’t any fun. Just because writing is something people can have fun doing, doesn’t mean it’s not a challenging and often tiresome career choice. Just as […]

Character Creation

By dnbrynPosted on June 30, 2019Posted in writing articlesTagged character arc, character creation, character forms, characters, fleshed out characters, how to write, writing advice, writing fiction, writing tips

I’ve been running my characters through these questions so I thought I might as well share them. They are meant to be a fun but challenging look at how your characters are going to interact with each other and the plot. The examples and explanations are simplistic versions and some stories (especially complex ones) will […]

Descriptions as Elephants: the Happy Medium.

By dnbrynPosted on June 2, 2019Posted in other, writing articlesTagged descriptions, how to write, writing advice, writing help, writing tips

There are a lot of odd rules floating around about descriptions (some of which are useful and others… not so much), but to form writing theories that any writer can apply to their own work without losing their personal style, we often need to step back from the “rules” and examine things more broadly. There […]