Nathan Bransford - The Forums

I feel your pain Charlee! I too am working on a YA sci-fi that is NOT dystopian. Yet people think that any sci-fi where there are problems in the future, and it doesn't take place in space == dystopia. Which is a bummer because several agents are saying dystopia is tough to sell right now. I don't h...

If there is no funeral in your novel, then this might be a question of killing your darlings. You've come up with this beautiful legend -- and it has no place in your story. You're looking for a way to force it. Best answer: don't. If it becomes relevant, it will be easy to insert. However, you coul...

You can have some characters debate about how best to kill a monster. Maybe the subtext is that they're showing off how skilled they are. Maybe there's even more of a romantic subtext/ battle of the sexes in the debate. To add conflict, maybe they've come upon a sleeping monster and they've got a ti...

Both. Printing it out and reading it allows me to step back and look at the bigger picture. But I'm not going write new dialogue in the margins! If I don't like something, I'll just write "need better dialogue here" and continue on. The actual revising happens on the screen, but the printe...

One thing I've heard is that if you have an alternate idea or way you want to write it, you simply make a note at the beginning of your next chapter for the change and then go forward with it. For example, if you want to change some characterization, you start where you are and keep going with your ...

Anyone have any tips for writing believable emotional struggles in a male character? I obviously tilt too far to the emotionally aware, I-feel-this-let's-muse-over-it-and-deal-with-it but I don't want to go all Conan the Barbarian let-go-kill-things-until-I-feel-better type "man". He does...

To echo what others have said, the main difference is how men express their emotions. They tend to express it with action, not words. They are angry: they punch something. They are in love: they'll fix your car. They won't come out and say it, usually but then again actions speak louder than words. ...

Yeah, despite what I said, your tips are helpful, Ian. It's always good to know what's realistic in case you can make it work

Hello again. Wanted to report, that after a very tough year, I am myself again. I am writing. I am making art. I am hoping to begin dancing again in the future. And I am here again. I just read through so many wonderful threads. This place is awesome. Glad to hear it. To a healthy new beginning for...

Gotta agree with Dios4Diva and Hillsy. There is no one way to write, and a lot of us aren't writing something that is meant to be super gritty and real. You have to go with your strengths. Also, I've been pushing back a bit in general on things that are too "real." At a conference I recent...

Thanks for the link! Will have to check it out.

Your book sounds awesome! Humans as slaves seems brilliant because it shows their suffering is universal. I also like Mark's idea of representing Native Americans as a people who can take spirit or animal form. I think anything that shows their connection with the earth and nature would get the idea...

polymath wrote:
"Droid" is one example of an intellectual property trademark that has legal muscle behind it that will hammer down any, any usage.

Thanks for the tip! I was totally going to use that. Whoops.

Hi there, If you're new to queries, check out Query Shark: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ She's got tons of examples of what to do and what not to do. Currently, I don't have a good idea of what happened to Rosa. I am currently seeking representation for THE WOODLANDS, my completed young adult, dys...

Cute. Yep, the macaroons joke works again

Not sure about the new last line. I think the conflict between betraying his new God friends and saving his father was more compelling than death by locusts, though it does have a humorous touch.