writing fiction – D.N. Bryn

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 […]

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 […]

Every scene furthers the plot.

By dnbrynPosted on September 29, 2018Posted in characters, writing articlesTagged books, plot, writers, writing, writing advice, writing fiction

Some writers confuse “you must further the plot with every scene” with “heavy plot handling must happen constantly.” (Which is a shame, because the latter is not only incorrect, but can make your character’s interactions stiff and boring.) It’s okay to let your characters joke. It’s okay if they get off track of the plot […]

Mary Sue Stories: Why your Mary Sue and Gary Stu should(n’t always) go.

By dnbrynPosted on August 4, 2018Posted in writing articlesTagged characters, mary sue, writing, writing advice, writing fiction, writing tips

Most of us are quite familiar with the term, but if you’ve heard it passed around without a proper definition, a Mary Sue is a (traditionally female) character who’s known for being flawless. She’s powerful, beautiful, intelligent, more skilled than her peers, gets herself out of every bad situation with ease, (usually wowing a crowd of bystanders in the […]

Describing Nature

By dnbrynPosted on April 29, 2018Posted in other, writing articlesTagged description, nature, writing, writing advice, writing description, writing fiction, writing resources, writing tips

(Tips to help you tackle the outdoors without ever leaving your home.) The forest for the trees. When describing any setting, especially potentially spacious settings such as expanses of nature, you have two major components: the big picture (the forest) and the little picture (the trees). It’s generally best to start with one and move […]

Writing Engaging Antagonists

By dnbrynPosted on April 22, 2018Posted in writing articlesTagged characters, literature, writers on writing, writing, writing advice, writing fiction, writing resources, writing tips, writing villains

Before we get started, I want to clarify two things: – Antagonists can be of any moral alignment. They can be also be non-human things, such as monsters, nature, inner demons, etc. The antagonist is simply the primary thing your protagonist fights against. – For the course of this article I will be talking about […]