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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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OUCH!
Last week, a now-ex-subscriber took issue with something I'd put in one of my emails/posts. According to him, "[Tolkien] was altogether...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 6, 20202 min read
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WRITING-PROMPT WEDNESDAY: IT'S ALL IN THE BODY LANGUAGE (LITERALLY)
Last week, I visited my brother "T" and his family in Iowa. "T" and I were rabid Star Wars fans as teenagers, so he was surprised that I...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 5, 20201 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Aug 4, 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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LET'S MAKE SOME MAGIC
On Sunday, I was watching the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square's broadcast for Independence Day 2018. It was filmed starting at dusk,...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 31, 20201 min read
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"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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 30, 20201 min read
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WRITING-PROMPT WEDNESDAY: YOUR SUMMER MEMORIES
This has got to be the weirdest summer I've ever experienced. I'm sure many of you could say the same thing. Little or no swimming,...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 29, 20201 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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WRITING ABOUT INJURIES? TRY THIS FACEBOOK GROUP
Of all the writers' groups I belong to on Facebook, one has proved especially helpful for my work: Trauma Fiction. If you plan to injure...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 22, 20202 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 21, 20202 min read
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A SURPRISING USE FOR A GPS
On Saturday, I ran out of a certain color of yarn for my latest crochet project. That color was no longer available at most stores, but...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 20, 20203 min read
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HISTORY AS YOU'VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE
Let's face it: things look pretty bleak right now. So today, I thought I'd take a break from serious writing tips and share this...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 17, 20201 min read
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ANNOYING BUT INSTRUCTIVE
Last night, I really wanted to finish a crochet project I was working on. I like to have something interesting playing in the background...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 16, 20202 min read
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WRITING-PROMPT WEDNESDAY: OH, SNAP (LITERALLY)
For my email subscribers, sorry about the lack of email yesterday. Mailchimp was being a pill and wouldn't let me send anything, so I...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 15, 20201 min read
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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...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 14, 20202 min read
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"A GOOD WRITER IS A VERY SMART THIEF"
In college, I took an introductory creative-writing course one semester (from the professor who gave me the quote in the post title). One...
Candice Bellows, The Story Engineer
Jul 13, 20202 min read
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