DEFINE "AMBIGUOUS," PART 1
A few weeks ago, I finally watched a show that my siblings have been talking about for a while: The Dragon Prince. I really liked it and...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 17, 20203 min read
WRITING WHAT YOU *DON'T* KNOW
As writers, we're often advised to "write what you know." There's definitely value in that suggestion. Experience lends not only accuracy...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 4, 20203 min read
SAY WHAT?
A few weeks ago, I was at the grocery store when I crossed paths with a man wearing a hat that said Vietnam Veteran. I always try to...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 3, 20203 min read
HOW (NOT TO) WRITE ABUSED CHARACTERS
Last night, I came across a great post on Pinterest (and now I can't find it!) that talked about a common mistake authors make when...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 30, 20201 min read
"FLAVOURS"?
The other day, my friend posted on Facebook about making homemade baby food for her son. It seemed like any other post until the last...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 27, 20202 min read
HURRICANE (AND CHARACTER) MISTAKES
The other day, one of my friends posted a picture on Facebook from a place called Hurricane Ridge, WA. When I first saw that caption, it...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 21, 20202 min read
STAKES FOR SUCCESS
Today's writing tip has to do with stakes. Not the ones you stick into vampires (although Secrets of the Dead has an interesting episode...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 14, 20202 min read
WRITE WHAT YOU(R HEART) KNOW(S)
Today is Bastille Day in France—roughly equivalent to Independence Day in the US. So, of course, all things French are on my mind. I...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 9, 20202 min read
WHY YOUR CHARACTERS SHOULD BE WALKING OXYMORONS
The other day, I was talking with some friends who moved into a new house a few months ago. Apparently the previous owners were quite...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jun 29, 20202 min read
RESCUE THE ROOMBA--NOT YOUR CHARACTERS
Not the Roomba in the story--its cousin, maybe? My landlord and landlady are letting me use their spare Roomba so I can keep the upstairs...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jun 26, 20201 min read
THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT TIGGERS ...
. . . is Tiggers don't tell any puns? 😁 If my brother "T" was any fictional character, he'd definitely be Tigger. But whereas Tigger...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jun 18, 20203 min read
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A SHOWER-CURTAIN ROD?
Every superhero has a nemesis, right? Apparently mine is the dreaded beast known as the shower-curtain rod. See, my new living space is...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jun 9, 20203 min read
BREAK ALL THE PHONES!
We've had quite a few heavy subjects in these posts lately, so today, I thought I'd lighten things up. A few years ago, I went to an...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jun 2, 20202 min read
ANOTHER WAY TO USE THE PEOPLE CODE
In yesterday's email, we talked about using the test in The People Code to get to know our main characters better. I've also found that...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jun 1, 20204 min read
WHAT COLORS ARE YOUR CHARACTERS?
I've mentioned The People Code in these posts before, but I don't think I've explained much about how we can use it to flesh out...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
May 28, 20203 min read
"SHOW ME A HERO, AND I'LL WRITE YOU A TRAGEDY"
The other day, I was listening to "No Good Deed" from the musical Wicked. Every time I hear it, it strikes me again that this is exactly...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
May 12, 20203 min read
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Last night, I was watching an episode of PBS's documentary series Secrets of the Dead called "The Hunt for Nazi Scientists." This episode...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
May 4, 20203 min read
"YOU'VE TAKEN YOUR FIRST STEP INTO A LARGER WORLD"
Happy Star Wars Day! In honor of the occasion, I'm listening to the soundtracks in the background as I write this email. 🔦 (Apparently...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Apr 28, 20202 min read
"MAWWIAGE!" (AND OTHER VERBAL DIFFICULTIES)
My professional hero Blake Snyder gave me a rule that I've been having trouble implementing in my work: "In a good...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Apr 22, 20203 min read
PERFECTING PERSPECTIVE
You may have heard about the two students in Georgia who posted a racist video on TikTok (NOT. COOL.) and got expelled from school...
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