So far in this series, we’ve looked at the difference between a TV Series Pitch Bible and a Series Bible, and how to develop the first of these. Now let’s look at how to expand your initial efforts into a broader, more complete bible to serve as a receptacle for all the details and elements contained within the series.
Writers have entire worlds in their heads, filled with characters, locations, stories, and consequences. It’s a lot to keep track of when creating a story or series, which is why series bibles exist.
Finding a productive writing process can help the act of writing come easier to you and reduce the friction associated with writing.
Gift ideas for the writer and reader in your life, even if that’s you. Here is the 2021 holiday gift guide from Figments & Fables.
Summer is fading, even if the heat persists. It’s back-to-school time and the sales of pens, paper, and notebooks are calling to me as they always do.
There are many habits a writer should develop. These are just a few. Let’s call them my top 15.
I have a problem. I love pens. I own boxes of pens that I rarely use or even look at, but am loathe to throw away, minimalism be damned. They’re pens. It’s like asking me to get rid of books—it’s not going to happen even if they threaten to bury me alive. There is something visceral at work here—the potential of so many words yet to be written. They are there, hovering out of sight, waiting on inspiration. Pens hold that potential. The paper awaits their brilliance. All that’s needed is me.
September rolls around and the sales begin and I find myself grabbing pens and tossing them in my cart. I have to collect them all—pens, pads of paper, highlighters, pencils, erasers. They call to me. Loudly.
The thing is there may be a reason for that temptation.
Most writers try journaling at some point in their lives. Some keep it up all their lives. Others come and go from the practice. While some flounder at the very idea of keeping a journal. There is no rule that demands writers keep one, but they can prove helpful. The trick is to figure out what kind of journal would benefit you and which you are likely to keep over time.
The best way to begin is to decide what you want to gain from your journal. This will help you figure out the best way to approach journaling. It can take many forms. Here are some ways to journal that go beyond the “Dear Diary” model, although that is a classic:
’Tis the season to celebrate and to make our list for Santa. I always loved writing to Santa as a child. It was magical that I could write a letter to someone like him and know he received it. I knew that because at least one of my requested gifts always appeared under the tree on Christmas morning, except when it was too large or unrealistic, like the horse I wanted one year or the penguin.
These days my lists go to my husband who tries to offer a combination of items off my list with things he picks out to surprise me.
My list always includes things writers would love. Here are a few items I’ve found and dreamed up this year:
I love the end of the year: the holidays, the decorations, the end of year reviews. It’s the perfect culmination of a year well spent. It’s also when I bury myself in holiday classics and stories. Somehow the dark nights and colder temps make reading better. I mean who can argue with reading a book before the fire, a cup of tea in hand and a cat curled up in your lap?
Being a writer requires a strong foundation in many things. It’s more than banging out a few lines and hitting post. Like any profession, there are basics every writer needs to master. Grammar is your foundation, but there’s so much more.
Story doesn’t rely on how to use a semicolon or the definition of a dangling participial phrase. It needs understanding and ideas that come from a broader education and perspective.
Clients often ask me about my process, wanting to know how I am going to spend my time on their project. It’s not an easy answer. I approach every project differently depending on what I’m writing. A script is different than a speech, which is different from an article or blog. There is no one answer. But there are basic steps in common.