Rae Elliott

Guest Post: 5 Strategies for a More Productive Writing Session

by Rae Elliott | Apr 4, 2016 | Blog

When you sit down for a writing session, it can either be a time of great productivity or great procrastination. Unfortunately, it’s not often find yourself somewhere between the two. Staying focused and getting stuff done tends to be more challenging than it seems. So what’s a writer to do? Here are 5 strategies to help you cut out distractions, stay motivated, and increase your productivity so you can finish your novel in no time! Create an Internet-Free Zone It’s so easy to get distracted by the internet when you’re trying to write. Trust me, I know—I spent an hour on Pinterest before forcing myself to sit down and write this post! But why is this? Why do we let ourselves get distracted when writing is something we love? Even though we might enjoy writing, it’s still hard work and it’s natural for humans to procrastinate and try to avoid doing work. On our toughest of writing days, Twitter and Pinterest may just be too tempting to resist. During your writing sessions, disable the wi-fi on your laptop and shut off your phone to avoid the temptation. Without access to these distractions you’ll be forced to focus on your work and get ‘er done! Create Goals or a Checklist Give yourself a visual of what you want to accomplish during your session by writing it down. This could be a goal like “Write for an hour” or “Write 300 words.” Or, you could create a check-list of smaller tasks you want to accomplish, like “Fix opening paragraph, Edit chapter 2, and Develop setting.” Seeing...

Get Inside Their Head: Epic Fantasy

by Rae Elliott | Mar 2, 2016 | Blog, Get In Their Head

“Get inside their head” is about getting to know the audience you’re writing for. Once a month, I interview one avid reader of a particular genre, asking questions every author wants to know, or should know about writing for their audience through the eyes of one ideal potential reader. Today’s discussion is about Epic Fantasy. And my interviewee is twenty-four year old blogger, author, and avid reader, Dakota Lopez: Dakota Lopez Dakota is the founder and editor of Geekritique, a blog dedicated to reviewing genre works in book, movie, and tv forms. The blog also hosts a number of editorials and recommendations for geeky things across the board. Dakota is also in the process of writing his first fantasy novel, which you can read more about at TalesFromAtelinor.wordpress.com . Dakota does his best to stay up to date with the ever changing SFF community, and does well keeping his content new and entertaining. Twitter Thanks again Dakota for joining us on this feature interview about what readers are looking for in an epic fantasy genre. Thanks for having me. First of all: How long have you been an avid reader of the epic fantasy genre? My inclination is to just say “oh gosh, forever.” But that would probably be a lie. Although I’ve always liked the fantasy genre. What drew you to epic fantasy? I’d have to say that personality has a lot to do with it. I read a lot of different stuff. I love science fiction and science fantasy as well. Usually fantasy is a much more nostalgic genre, where SciFi is hopeful. I tend to lean more on nostalgia, as a fault in my personality. What is...

The Complete Workbook for Creating Complete Female Characters

by Rae Elliott | Feb 6, 2016 | New Releases

As a female, as a writer, and as an avid fan of all things “admirable heroine”, I find the subject of the “strong” female heroine becoming imbalanced and overburdened with grave misconceptions. What is it really that makes a female heroine “strong”? It seems to me that society in general is skewing what “strong” women really are. The misconception is that our female character must lose her femininity in order to appear stronger. And I have to strongly disagree. By allowing this idea to erode confidence in femininity simultaneously humors the belief that there is only one kind of “strong” female heroine. And it discourages confidence in our natural strengths. The idea is that this heroine has to be more boyish or manly in her traits, her looks, her hobbies, and her attitude. She has to “win” by being manlier, stronger, better. But is that really a strong female heroine? And is there really just one kind of “strength”? Our mind, our heart, our body- these are unique to who we are. Not our hobbies, favorite color, hair style, or what shoes we wear. Femininity doesn’t limit women’s potential, as I think many women fear it does. Further, it’s our resounding, admirable qualities as women that truly identify us and make us strong. And it is what we do with these qualities that decides how women affect society. Such priceless qualities make us unique. And when we hold fast to our positive qualities despite challenges that make us strong women. These qualities, when held fast to, make for “strong” female characters as well. Why do I say that? Why do I believe that these qualities make for a truly strong...

Femininity in Heroines

by Rae Elliott | Feb 3, 2016 | Blog

Listen to this post on my Podcast! I want you to take a look at these amazing heroines for a moment. Think over what it is about them that makes them great, memorable, and admirable. Then, I want you to think about why they are great role models for young women. Consider what it is about them that makes them strong. Is it their clothing? Is it their hair style? Is it their weaponry? Or is it something else entirely that identifies them as strong heroines? Keep those reasons in mind, because we’ll come back around to them in the end. As a female, as a writer, and as an avid fan of all things “admirable heroine”, I find the subject of the “strong” female heroine becoming imbalanced and overburdened with grave misconceptions. What is it really that makes a female heroine “strong”? It seems to me that society in general is skewing what “strong” women really are. The misconception is that our female character must lose her femininity in order to appear stronger. And I have to strongly disagree. By allowing this idea to erode confidence in femininity simultaneously humors the belief that there is only one kind of “strong” female heroine. And it discourages confidence in our natural strengths. The idea is that this heroine has to be more boyish or manly in her traits, her looks, her hobbies, and her attitude. She has to “win” by being manlier, stronger, better. But is that really a strong female heroine? And is there really just one kind of “strength”? The thing about femininity is this: people (I think women, especially) are terrified of the...

What Writers can Learn from Star Wars about Effective Worldbuilding

by Rae Elliott | Jan 20, 2016 | Blog

Listen to this post on my Podcast! I want you to take a moment to think about what it is that makes the Star Wars saga so special to you. Go on. Take a few moments and figure out the precise thing that makes Star Wars a nostalgic part of your childhood. Is it the characters? Is it the storyline?: Is it the various, unique sci/fi setting(s)? Is it the epic battle scenes? Or something else more specific? Whatever it may be, keep it in mind because we’re going to circle back around to your answer in the end. When I saw The Force Awakens, I realized exactly what it is that makes Star Wars so special to me, so different from other movies, and so inspiring to me as a writer. Yes, I love the characters. I love the storyline. And heck yes I love the battle scenes. But really, what makes Star Wars so special to me actually surprised me: It’s the world building. It’s incredible how a “galaxy far, far away” can simultaneously feel so close to home. So, with stars in my eyes, I went home mulling over how it is the creators make fantastical places like Tatooine: Jakku: Takodana: … feel like planet Earth- heck, even feel like my own backyard. What I realized was, it wasn’t precisely the giant settings themselves: a massive, endless desert riddled with crashed ships, a lush emerald green planet busy with life. But rather it was the subtle nuances– the little details that make it feel so relatable, so very real. So that’s what I’m going to break apart: why little details are...