Andrew Ferguson
Children's/YA Author
Archives
Writing a Novel? Make Sure You’ve Got a Story Bible
Posted on July 3, 2021 Leave a Comment
A story bible is basically a handbook for your fictional world, containing all the facts and details pertinent to your story.
On Character Traits
Posted on April 20, 2021 Leave a Comment
Let your reader get to know Dave by experiencing Dave, not simply being told about Dave.
Pants, Plants and Plans: A Beginner’s Guide
Posted on April 17, 2021 Leave a Comment
If you’re struggling with whatever method comes naturally to you, it may be time to try a different approach. And so, what follows is my own concise analysis of each approach, comparing pros and cons as evenly as I can.
Novelist: A Handy App for Planning Your Novel
Posted on March 18, 2021 Leave a Comment
But that’s not to say mobile apps can’t help you in your quest to write a story, especially when you’re on the go and need a simple, orderly means of gathering together all those little plot bunnies that jump into your head at the worst possible moments. For that reason, I’ve been trying out a nice little app I discovered on Google Play called Novelist by Alessandro Riperi.
Writing a Novel? Make Sure You’ve Got a Story Bible
Posted on July 14, 2019 Leave a Comment
A story bible is basically a handbook for your fictional world, containing all the facts and details pertinent to your story.
On Character Traits
Posted on August 26, 2018 Leave a Comment
Let your reader get to know Dave by experiencing Dave, not simply being told about Dave.
Pants, Plants and Plans: A Beginner’s Guide
Posted on August 5, 2018 Leave a Comment
If you’re struggling with whatever method comes naturally to you, it may be time to try a different approach. And so, what follows is my own concise analysis of each approach, comparing pros and cons as evenly as I can.
Novelist: A Handy App for Planning Your Novel
Posted on February 4, 2018 4 Comments
But that’s not to say mobile apps can’t help you in your quest to write a story, especially when you’re on the go and need a simple, orderly means of gathering together all those little plot bunnies that jump into your head at the worst possible moments. For that reason, I’ve been trying out a nice little app I discovered on Google Play called Novelist by Alessandro Riperi.
Fleshing Out Your Story Idea
Posted on October 23, 2016 4 Comments
You have an idea. A story must have structure to function. It is unlikely to pop into your head neatly structured, and even if it does, it is almost certain to be full of plot holes. Heck, it might not even be as fully formed as that. It might just be a single character, setting or theme you want to explore. Even historical events lack the kind of structure they need in order to make them work as stories, since real life is replete with random events, unresolved problems, and has no beginning and end (unless, of course, you’re writing a character’s entire life-story, but even then… you need structure to make it feel like it’s going somewhere). If you’re like me, you might find you need to polish an idea a thousand times over before it can truly function as a story.
3 Ways to Ignite the Imagination
Posted on October 16, 2016 2 Comments
Now, as we all know, turning on a car’s ignition doesn’t immediately take you where you want to go. It simply starts the engine, allowing for the possibility of motion. In the same way, igniting the imagination (to continue the metaphor) does not immediately give you a fully formed story. It just gives you the idea, allowing for the possibility of a story. Perhaps I’ll talk about turning your idea into a story next week, but this week, I want to focus on that all important first stage: going from having nothing to having something.
There are many different things you can do to spark the imagination, none of which involve sitting down and waiting for inspiration to strike. You can…
Andrew Ferguson 