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Yessica Jain
Dec 14, 2023
Using the Real World as Inspiration
Observation is the key to good writing. Whether you write realistic fiction or high fantasy or anything in between, grounding aspects of...
Yessica Jain
Jul 20, 2023
Using Symbolism in Writing
If you are an avid reader, you know how easy it is to fall down a rabbit hole over the significance of one sentence or chapter. The same...
Yessica Jain
Jul 13, 2023
Deep Third POV
Whether or not deep third deserves to be its own POV is a subject of controversy among writers. After all, we are always taught three...
Yessica Jain
Jul 6, 2023
Camp NaNoWriMo: July
A somewhat abbreviated version of National Novel Writing Month, which takes place every November, Camp NaNo is a severely underrated...
Yessica Jain
May 25, 2023
Playing with Perspective (in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Stories)
“Everyone is the hero of their own story,” said John Barth. Most people are intrinsically aware of this, but many writers are averse to...
Yessica Jain
May 11, 2023
Freytag’s Diagram & Common Plot Types
In elementary school, we learn about Freytag’s diagram, the supposed general outline of every plot in the universe. The idea is: a story...
Yessica Jain
Feb 16, 2023
Romance Tropes
In honor of Valentine’s day, I wanted to dedicate this week’s post to romance tropes. Almost every young adult novel has a romantic...
Yessica Jain
Feb 9, 2023
Finding Inspiration for Your Story
All writers know that feeling… when you want to write, and you know you want to write, but you don’t know what to write about. Finding...
Yessica Jain
Jan 5, 2023
Story Beginnings: Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Last week, I focused on story endings, but before every ending comes a beginning. A strong hook is an important part of all stories....
Yessica Jain
Dec 29, 2022
Types of Story Endings
With the end of the year just around the corner, I wanted to spend this post focusing on story endings. Like everything with writing,...
Yessica Jain
Dec 15, 2022
Mixing Genres
Stories are defined by their genres—often more so than their characters or their plot. Whether you want to publish your story or simply...
Yessica Jain
Dec 8, 2022
Worldbuilding for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Speculative Fiction
What makes a good story? Yes, you need characters and plotlines that intrigue your readers. But, importantly, setting is also one of the...
Yessica Jain
Oct 27, 2022
Getting Ready for National Novel Writing Month
This week is the last of October, which means National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is just around the corner. NaNoWriMo is an event...
Yessica Jain
Oct 20, 2022
Types of Writing Prompts
If you’re interested in launching a writing club, setting up an Instagram writing account, or simply motivating your friends to write,...
Yessica Jain
Oct 13, 2022
Balancing Subplots
Without a plot, a story doesn’t exist. But with only one plot, a good story rarely exists. That’s why subplots exist. This week’s post is...
Yessica Jain
Sep 15, 2022
Journalism: Overview
I recently completed a six-week internship with Young Voices, which is a journalism company that helps young writers write and publish...
Yessica Jain
Aug 25, 2022
Screenwriting: Layout & Formatting
Screenwriting—the art of writing screenplays for films or TV shows—can be really exciting. It’s a great way to exercise your description...
Trisha Reddy
Jul 28, 2022
Interconnected Short Story Collections
Until a few years ago, I was under the impression that novels were the only form of literature worth pursuing. I didn’t even consider the...
Yessica Jain
Jun 16, 2022
Writing Shorter Works: Flash Fiction & Short Stories
Last week, my short story titled The Perfect King was published in Issue IV of Juven Press, a youth literary magazine. Read the issue...
Yessica Jain
Jun 2, 2022
Diversity in Literature
Happy Pride Month! In honor of pride month, this week’s post talks about the importance of diversity in literature and how to incorporate...
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