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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 25, 20203 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 24, 20202 min read
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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,...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 21, 20203 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 9, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 8, 20201 min read
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"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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Sep 3, 20201 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 28, 20205 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 24, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 21, 20203 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 20, 20201 min read
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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....
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 18, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 13, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 11, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 10, 20202 min read
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(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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 7, 20203 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 3, 20203 min read
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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....
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 28, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 27, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 24, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 23, 20202 min read
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