How to Use the Rule of Three in Children’s Books

How to Use the Rule of Three in Children’s Books

Interesting things come in threes. There are three little pigs, not four. Three kittens lost their mittens, Goldilocks and the three bears, three musketeers. You might even say “three is a magic number.”

If you’re a writer, especially a children’s book author, you should be using the rule of three in your writing. In this post, we’ll talk about how.

Writing Prompt: Finding Independence

Writing Prompt: Finding Independence

We all long for independence. It’s hard-wired into the human spirit.

Perhaps this is because we all know what it feels like to be trapped. Have your circumstances ever penned you in? Have you ever been forced to look to something or someone else for sustenance, when you would rather be standing on your own feet?

That’s what today’s writing prompt is all about.

Star Wars: Hero’s Journey Example and Case Study

Star Wars: Hero’s Journey Example and Case Study

The Hero’s Journey is easily the most-used and most-loved storytelling structure in the history of humanity. It resonates with readers in ways that are as old as human D.N.A. itself.

If you want to connect with readers and engage them on a deep level, you would be at an advantage to study this storytelling method and use as much of it as possible in your writing.

One of the best ways to study and master the Hero’s Journey is by seeing it at work in another story. And in recent history, there is no clearer use of the Hero’s Journey than George Lucas’s space opera, Star Wars.

Let’s break it down, step by step.

50+ Orphans in Literature: Why Orphans Make the Best Stories

50+ Orphans in Literature: Why Orphans Make the Best Stories

What do JK Rowling, Christopher Paolini, David Eddings, and Terry Goodkind have in common? They all wrote bestselling novels starring orphans. And this isn’t unique to fantasy. Orphans in literature is a big theme!

Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain all used orphans as some of their most memorable characters.

And don’t forget Superman.

In this post, we’re looking at more than fifty fictional orphans, why authors love writing about them, and whether or not you should include them in your story. 

Should I Be a Writer? 7 Lies You Probably Believe

Should I Be a Writer? 7 Lies You Probably Believe

The profession of writing has been around for thousands of years. You would think we would have figured out how to become one by now, right? However, the more you read, the more you realize no one seems to agree on how to become a writer.

Depending on who you listen to, becoming a writer is either the easiest thing in the world (“Just write!”) or a proposition so impossibly difficult that only a combination of talent approaching genius, luck, and years of expensive training (i.e. “Get an MFA!”) can turn your writerly dream into reality.