Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Hey, congratulations! Your agent and publisher have gained a good client. Keep writing, and hope all goes well!

A review of Harry Potter 7, Part 2, as well as a discussion of the balance between happy moments and sad ones. http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011 ... otter.html

Happy Fourth, everyone! I've actually been neglecting to post updates here, so I have a stack of three: Day 2 of the Teen Writers' Summer Blogfest is 'On Reading,' and what we like and don't like in books. http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011/07/teen-writers-summer-blogfest-day-2.html Day 3 is Ex...

Well, today's day one of the Teen Writer's Summer Blogfest, the introduction day. Those of you who don't know me, feel free to stop by, and those of you who do, maybe you'll learn something new. I change daily. My entry is at: http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011/07/teen-writers-summer-blogfest-d...

The LEGO plot: the elusive and surprisingly difficult way of constructing a plot that ends up better than we ever hoped. Read more at http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011 ... -plot.html

Investigating Imagination as a Muscle.

Ever had an idea just drop out of the sky to lodge itself in your skull? That sounds a bit more visceral than it really is, but there's definitely something oddly traumatic and surprising about them. Where did they come from? Why are they here? How can you possibly use them? Read more at http://harb...

Posting a day early, since I don't think I'll get the chance tomorrow. Anyway, today we discuss one-liners, and how their easy and eloquent delivery belies the work that goes into them behind the scenes. http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011 ... liner.html

I try not to tease, at least not as it's been defined in this thread. However, I dislike giving the reader everything they need or want to know all at once, as well. For one, that would create a multi-page infodump, but more importantly they would have no reason to read on. I think it's more importa...

When we think of backstory, we tend to picture flashbacks and infodumps or dropped hints that fit together to complete the puzzle by the end. But what if there was a type of backstory that was equally powerful because it remained unexplained? Read more at http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011/06/c...

Today we discuss comfort zones and what it takes to step out of them, plus the consequences of not doing so. Read more at: http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011 ... -zone.html

Today's another discussion, this time focusing on the characteristics of hell. How do you prefer the underworld to be portrayed in books? Is it the old fire-and-brimstone hell, or do you favor a more urban, dystopian version? Read more at http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011/06/hellish-presentati...

Part two of the first chapter of The Dynamists is up today, if you'd like to take a look: http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011 ... rn-p2.html

It looks all right to me, though I'll bring up the lighting issue again because while I do see a bit of what I assume is sunlight reflecting off the larger clock to the left (speaking of which, you like triangles don't you?), it looks like it's the last rays before sunset. So while you're definitely...

Writer's block has returned, so we have a discussion today in lieu of a short story. It's geared more toward those still aiming for traditional publishing, but self-pubbers are still welcome to drop by! http://harbingercodex.blogspot.com/2011 ... riter.html