11 TIPS FOR WRITING TWEENS
I've been thinking a lot about kids recently. I've noticed that some authors write all child characters the same way, so anyone under...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 24, 20202 min read
THAT'S NOT HOW IT GOES! (OR IS IT?)
When I was a teenager, my church had an annual camping trip (known simply as Girls' Camp) for all girls ages twelve to eighteen and the...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 21, 20203 min read
LIFE-ALTERING IS AS LIFE-ALTERING DOES
My church congregation in Colorado Springs finally started meeting in person again in August. Though we could only meet every other week,...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 9, 20202 min read
IS IT A VICTORY OR A DEFEAT? YES
I had to have a tough conversation the other day. It involved sensitive topics, big fears of mine, and people I wasn't happy with. To my...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 8, 20201 min read
WHOSE BOOK IS IT, ANYWAY?
A few days ago, I was talking on the phone with my five-year-old niece, "C1." When she asked what was new with me, I told her that I was...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 3, 20201 min read
"GUARANTEED," EH?
Not long ago, an author sent me a message that read, in part, as follows (edited for clarity): "The consensus is: nobody can guarantee a...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 28, 20205 min read
1 COMMON MISTAKE AUTHORS MAKE WITH INCLUSIVITY (AND 4 WAYS TO AVOID MAKING IT)
The other day, I saw a section on a job application in which applicants could voluntarily disclose whether they had a disability. I've...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 24, 20202 min read
DEFINE "AMBIGUOUS," PART 2
Lord Viren, the main antagonist of The Dragon Prince (image from https://dragonprince.fandom.com/wiki/Viren?file=Viren_Official.png) When...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 21, 20203 min read
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 20, 20201 min read
A MEME-MONIC DEVICE
We've all probably used mnemonic devices at some point in our lives. Whether it was "Every Good Boy Does Fine" and "FACE" in music class...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 18, 20202 min read
MAKING THE EPIC RELATABLE
I think all great pieces of art have two things in common: They make you think, feel something, learn something, or all of the above....
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 13, 20202 min read
AVOIDING EYE-COLOR SWITCHES AND OTHER DIFFICULTIES
Have you ever read a piece in which the author dropped in an unfamiliar acronym without explaining what it stood for? Or have you ever...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 11, 20202 min read
FINDING CREDIBLE SOURCES
In yesterday's post, I mentioned the importance of getting facts from credible sources. In today's climate of "alternative facts" and...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 10, 20202 min read
DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?
The other day, someone posted this in one of the editors' Facebook groups I belong to: https://twitter.com/DanaSchwartzzz/status/12900993...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 7, 20203 min read
(PLOT) TWIST AND SHOUT
I found this interesting post on Pinterest a few days ago: I'd never considered this before. I kind of like being surprised by plot...
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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 28, 20202 min read
RUDE, AUTHORS!
A few years ago, when I was between winter semester and spring term and didn't have much else to do, I read the 39 Clues series....
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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 24, 20202 min read
DNA =/= SIMPLE AS "ABC"
About a year ago, I decided I wanted to know more about my genetic background. I took Ancestry.com's test and had to wait a few weeks for...
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Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 23, 20202 min read
DON'T BE A TOLKIEN
Longer ago than I'd like to specify, when I was fresh out of college, I interned at Deseret Book, one of Utah's major publishers. While I...
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