Bethany Henry: Writing & Wellness

Sometimes there just seems so much to  do.  Those books won’t write themselves, you know! There’s pressure to  hustle harder  and get our butts on the chair and write write write. And they’re not wrong. But sometimes sticking to our to-do lists, hustling, and being busy busy busy isn’t actually the best way to go about things. And I’m not just saying that because of the burnout factor, though that’s certainly a danger! I’m talking about setting aside tasks in order to take time for dreams. Because the dreams matter. Call it dreaming, rest, brainstorming, procrastination, or what you will… It’s important. Putting in more hours and grinding away may work in certain situations, but we’re not machines. And our work isn’t always black or white with clear finish lines. We need time to rest. We need time to dream in order to feed our creative gardens. In fact, sometimes our time  away  from our work can actually be extremely valuable! Research has shown that ...

Theme in story can be tricky to pin down sometimes. Sometimes it’s described as what’s “below the surface” of the novel, or the iceberg that is mostly hidden below the water. A story’s theme is also referred to its “soul” or its “core.” Basically it means what a story is about, its universal theme, or its underlying central idea. It may be what you would say if you were asked to sum up a story in five words or less: for example a theme could be something like “love never fails,” “power corrupts,” or “loyalty.” (Any of those sound familiar from high school English class? 😉 ) Sometimes theme can be overlooked in our writing because it may seem vague or less measurable than the plot points of story structure, our characters, and the details and maps of our worldbuilding. However, theme connects and works through  all  of these things and should be given attention in its own right. Writing Theme In Our Stories Keep in mind that authors like to have a theme in mind befor...

As writers we are constantly needing to come up with names for fictional characters. So what’s in a name? Does a rose by any other name really smell as sweet? Would Frodo Baggins have been the same hobbit if he had been named Kikko Killingham? What about Shannon Lilac or Dimitri Ivanov? Names have a certain role to play in a story, just like everything else. They signal certain expectations to the reader and set a certain tone to our story. Which means when we go about naming our characters we want to keep a few things in mind! Naming Fictional Characters 1. Know the Name’s Meaning Every name in our story doesn’t need to have a deep significant meaning. But it can be valuable to know the origins and meaning behind at least our major characters. We can use the meaning in thematic ways or dismiss it entirely, but it’s worth looking into! A few names and their meanings: Lucy= light Mark= warlike Mei= beautiful Peter= rock Sarah= princess Vlad= to rule 2. Fit Names to Worldbuilding Locatio...

This week you can find me  guest posting over at Fiction University ! I’m talking about 5 ways to use holidays in your writing. Everyone loves a special occasions and there are lots of ways we can incorporate that into our stories both to enrich the setting and drive the plot. So check out  my post on Fiction University , and while you’re there don’t forget to read some of the other great posts by Janice Hardy and more! There is a wealth of info to be found and you don’t want to miss it. Originally published April 9, 2021 on Bethany-Henry. com. 

Every villain needs a motive, because here’s the secret: from their perspective  they’re not the villain. They have reasons for doing what they’re doing. We can’t just have vague “evil villains” being bad just for the sake of giving our heroes someone to fight. Often a villain’s motivations can be remarkably similar to our heroes, which can raise interesting questions about right and wrong and shades of gray. With that in mind, here are some potential motives for villains (or anyone, really!) to get some ideas going and inspire our stories. Because having a strong villain makes the entire story stronger and more interesting. So take these ideas and run with them! Mix and match! Brainstorm and see where the ideas take you. And may your villains be the very best they can be 🙂 7 Motives for Villains 1. Romance Yes, villains can fall in love just like the rest of us. And love can be a strong motivator in almost any situation. Love could inspire an individual to commit villainous acts ...

Often I feel like I have too many writing projects and too little time! I have all sorts of stories I want to be working on and it can be hard to sort out how that works alongside the rest of life. (Anyone else??) Lately a lot of my writing times are only 5-15 minutes long: this is because of time constraints as well as just having limited mental-energy. But writing even for just give minutes is totally worth it! Even though it’s only a few minutes, the time and work definitely adds up. I make lots of lists so I can keep myself (somewhat) focused and moving forward. I’ve been really trying to be gracious towards myself with however much or little progress I’m making, and I’m trying to recognize and celebrate every success no matter how small. And personally, I feel so much better with even just a few minutes of writing in my days! It’s good for the soul. What does your life and your writing look like these days? What is going well and what would you like to improve on? And remember: Wh...

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I’m writing I get all caught up in plot points and “things to do” that I forget to… well… have  fun. Don’t get me wrong, I still think plot points are important. I’ve talked about story structure before and how its framework can actually give us  more  freedom to have do cool things with our stories. And knowing what elements to include in a strong story is good to follow through on. But also… fun is important. “Shinies” means fun. It’s the story pieces that make you smile when you see them. They’re the nuggets of a book that you just can’t help but love. The shiny bits may mean any number of things for different people: awesome costumes, zippy one-liners, fire-breathing dragons, explosions, breathtaking worldbuilding, that double-cross twist no one saw coming. But whatever they are- let’s not forget to put them in our stories! Filling Our Stories With Shinies It’s worth taking a few minutes to identify what “shinies” m...

I’ve been reading more classics lately and just finished Walden by Henry Thoreau. Have you read that one? Maybe years and years ago? Here are some of my thoughts and favorite quotes for you to enjoy 🙂 Reading Walden Reading Walden was slow going- I started it in 2020 and would often only read a page or two a day, which is much slower than my usual reading pace. But that wasn’t a bad thing in the end because so much of the book seemed to just get better as it was savored and thought through! Considered by many to be Thoreau’s masterwork, Walden encourages the reader to “live deliberately,” to pursue freedom, and to question conformity. It is a mix of poetic descriptions of nature interspersed with thoughts on ethics, philosophy, and observations on human nature. Your mileage may vary of course (there were a few comments here and there that rubbed me the wrong way) but overall I found Walden to be a thought provoking and worthwhile read. Quotes from Walden Note: These may not be the mos...