Bethany Henry: Writing & Wellness

Earlier in the month we took a look at the importance of crafting satisfying endings to our story. Today we’re backtracking a bit to look at the story’s start! The first page (and often the first sentence!) of our novel needs to hook our readers and introduce them to our story. It is  critical  that these initial paragraphs catch the readers’ attention and keep their interest. Once they read past that first line, the next few pages play the important role of setting up the story, introducing our main character, and at least hinting at a problem. Each piece of our story should keep the reader interested (and reading). Today we’ll break down strategies for crafting our first sentences and then look at how to structure our first pages. Note: Most of this work is best done during the revision process! We don’t need to get it perfect right away. It doesn’t make sense to agonize over the word choices of our first sentence in our first draft if it’s just going to be changed...

What are the qualities of a “good” book? Everyone has different aspects they enjoy when they’re reading, whether it’s humor, worldbuilding, or a tricksy plot. And no novel can (or should!) try to please everyone, that’s just a recipe for a mess! But there  are  core components of storytelling we should strive for that are central to resonating with readers. So that when they put our book down they say  yes  that was satisfying and good. Today we’re looking at our story’s ending. This is where things (ideally) get wrapped up and we leave the reader with that beautiful feeling of having experienced something great. The ending is key for a satisfying story. Now, the rest of the book is critical as well! It is only on the entire story’s foundation that we can build the satisfying conclusion. If we find ourselves struggling with the endings of our stories, chances are we need to step back and examine the story as a whole. Satisfying Stories: 3 Keys To A Good Ending 1- Ful...

For writers (and probably everyone!) time management will always be crucial. Life gets busy so quickly and before you know it, the day (or week/month/year!) has flown right by. Even if the stars align and I have a bunch of time on my hands, somehow it  still  is difficult to get everything done. So what gives? Today we’re looking at various approaches to time management, three tried-and-true tools to use, different seasons of life and writing, and three core critical elements to consider as we sort out what routines may work for us. After all, we are writers and makers of our own destinies! We won’t let a paltry thing like time (or the lack of it) stand in our way! 😉 Time Management For Writers “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” E. B. White “If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.” Ivan Turgenev Writing won’t happen for most of us by accident. We must ...

Last month we spent some time discussing worldbuilding, specifically how  having an overall theme can tie our worldbuilding concepts together  and looking at how  including specific details can provide depth. Today we’re looking at worldbuilding a bit more as we focus on religion and belief systems. We’ll go over the importance of belief systems, strategies for including them in our worldbuilding, and common pitfalls to watch out for. But first: What is a belief system? A belief system is defined as “a set of principles or tenets which together form the basis of a religion, philosophy, or moral code.” Sound simple enough? Basically, it’s whatever point of view a person is coming from and how they see the world. Beyond any individual’s personal beliefs, most cultures contain several established religions or widespread systems of philosophy. These include beliefs and stories surrounding the start of life/creation, concepts of good and evil, and how people understa...