S.C. Jensen's Blog, page 11
April 3, 2019
Finding Your Balance: How to Show AND Tell Effectively
Writers love rules. Or love to hate them. If you spend any time in writers groups, or read a lot of craft articles, one of the rules that get tossed around a lot is “Show DON’T Tell.” The reason this rule emphasizes showing over telling is not because one is better than the other. It’s … Continue reading Finding Your Balance: How to Show AND Tell Effectively →
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April 2, 2019
Blood, Sweat, Tears… and Success!
So last week, I had a bit of a vent after a particularly horrendous bout of drafting, editing, and rewriting. In my mentally and emotionally exhausted state, I said some pretty terrible things about my friend, Fantasy. So I’m a little embarrassed to share this next piece of news with you. That horrible, no good, … Continue reading Blood, Sweat, Tears… and Success! →
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March 30, 2019
Fillers and Filters: Give Your Writing a Fluff-Free Face Lift
If you have ever received a story critique from me (you lucky dog, you) I’ve probably harped on and on about filler and filter words. It comes up in 90% of the stories I read. I just made that statistic up out of thin air, but it’s how I feel, and that’s what’s really important, … Continue reading Fillers and Filters: Give Your Writing a Fluff-Free Face Lift →
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March 22, 2019
Thoughts on the Limits of Short Fiction
So, I decided to participate in a Fantasy short story competition this month. Fantasy story up to 5000 words, sounds easy enough, right? Well, folks. I think I discovered one of my hard limits. Writing fantasy as short fiction is painfully difficult. Not the good pain. I love fantasy. It was probably the first genre … Continue reading Thoughts on the Limits of Short Fiction →
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March 21, 2019
Simultaneity: And How it’s Ruining Your Writing
There is a little talked about writing habit that slowly drains the life and excitement out of your story. It slows readers down and confuses them, often without anyone being able to articulate why. It is so common, most people don’t even recognize it as a problem. But if you fall victim to this habit … Continue reading Simultaneity: And How it’s Ruining Your Writing →
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March 19, 2019
SolarPunk: Sci-Fi for a Sustainable Future
Out of the Darkness… Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic themes are all the rage in Science Fiction these days. Arguably, they always have been. Sci-Fi has been a sounding chamber for early warning signals, from George Orwell’s vision of an omniscient government in 1984 to H.G. Well’s prediction of the atomic bomb in The World Set Free, … Continue reading SolarPunk: Sci-Fi for a Sustainable Future →
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March 18, 2019
Mystery Blogger Award!
I have been away for a little while, and I think it’s driven some of my bloggie friends to desperate measures to make sure I’m still alive. I’m fine, really! I’ve just been busy melting water on my stove to make coffee and wash dishes while our water treatment system was on the fritz… Just … Continue reading Mystery Blogger Award! →
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March 7, 2019
Fantasy Review: “The Griffin” by M.J. McGriff
I discovered this story in a roundabout kind of way through Instagram. [Check out the tag #MeetWriterMoms to discover some really interesting new writers!] I just had to share it. First, because it represents what great fantasy can and should be–engrossing, otherworldly, and original--and second, because it’s FREE to read! Click the link to have … Continue reading Fantasy Review: “The Griffin” by M.J. McGriff →
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March 6, 2019
Critique Mystique Part 2: How to Receive a Creative Writing Critique
Oooooh, that smarts. The first time you receive real critical feedback on writing, or anything, can be painful. It can be painful after you’ve received hundreds of them. Thousands. Any time you are told that what you are trying to do isn’t working sucks. It does get easier, though. Receiving feedback is a skill you … Continue reading Critique Mystique Part 2: How to Receive a Creative Writing Critique →
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March 5, 2019
Critique Mystique Part One: How to Give a Creative Writing Critique
Yesterday I waxed poetic about why writing critiques are so important to growing and developing writing craft. But how do you actually give a creative writing critique? What is the difference between a good crit and a bad one? Today I’m going to share some of the things I’ve learned while stumbling through online writer’s … Continue reading Critique Mystique Part One: How to Give a Creative Writing Critique →
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