writing advice

Shishir Mehrotra, CEO of Grammarly, speaking at an event

Grammarly Allegedly ‘Misappropriated’ Names of Journalists, Says Class Action Suit

The Grammarly Expert Review feature included the names of writers and literary figures without consulting them first.

Artificial Intelligence Mike Pearl Mar 11

The Authors of The Kingkiller Chronicle and An Ember in the Ashes Offer Writing Advice in This Fun Chat

In a lively, adorably nerdy chat, fantasy authors Sabaa Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes) and Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle) discuss the pressures of following a successful debut with a sequel, take on topics like writer’s block (and whether or not it actually exists), and answer Twitter-submitted fan questions. Yes, Rothfuss’ majestic beard gets…

io9 Cheryl Eddy Oct 17

10 Vital Storytelling Lessons I Learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer rocked our world, and it remains one of the all-time greatest TV shows. The story of a fated vampire-hunter who tries to live a normal life in high school, Buffy still has few worthy successors. And it has so much to teach us about good writing. I came to Buffy after…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Mar 23

The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do To Make Your Writing More Awesome

There’s no magic bullet for being a decent writer, or making people bond with your characters or fall in love with your story. Writing is a million different skills and challenges, and each story is different. But the more I struggle to make this work, the more I think there’s one key thing that makes…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 25

How to Make People Fall in Love With Your Ridiculously Competent Hero

We all love characters who are good at what they’re doing. Nobody wants to root for someone who screws up constantly or walks into traps we can see a mile away. But at the same time, it can be hard to love someone who’s too perfect. So how do you make us believe in, and…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Dec 23

The Two Most Powerful Words That You Can Say To Yourself While Writing

“I’m bored.” These two words are the hardest thing to admit, when you’re writing your deathless novel, or screenplay, or short story. You’re supposed to be creating a work of timeless brilliance. How can you be bored? But admitting that you’re bored is the first step to not being bored. The power of boredom A…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Dec 9

The Difference Between a Great Story and a Shitty Story Is Often Really Tiny

Hollywood people often say that it’s a miracle there are any good movies at all. Because so much can go wrong, and so many random things have to go right, for a movie to avoid being a hopeless disaster. I can believe this, because in general the difference between the good and bad versions of…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Oct 30

Proof That Playing With Toy Model Kits Will Prove Invaluable In Later Life

The amazing author (and io9 reader!) Greg Cox faced a huge dilemma recently. And he solved it, thanks to science! No, wait. Sorry, thanks to his invaluable experience with toy model kits! Over on Facebook, Cox explains that he was just writing a scene involving a mad scientist, and “I’m trying to decide what color…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 16

The Secret of Writing An Action Movie in Book Form

Screw movies. A great novel can be just as exciting and thrilling as a big-budget Hollywood tentpole. A novel can contain massive, insane action, that movie-makers could never even afford to bring to life. But how do you create an action movie on the page? We talked to 10 of our favorite authors, and here’s…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 28

How To Handle Rejection of Your Writing, Without Becoming a Basket Case

Rejection is part of being a writer. Unless you’re that one-in-a-billion wunderkind who gets “discovered” while you’re still in high school and goes on to become a literary sensation. Almost everybody who writes stories (or anything) has their work dismissed and sent packing, over and over. And learning to deal with rejection is a crucial…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Sep 15

Help! I Put A Placeholder In My Story—And It Became Permanent!

Writing is a messy business for most of us—even if you’re one of those people who outlines everything in advance, there’s always going to be some parts that you make up as you go. And sometimes, a first draft will include stuff that you know you’re going to have to change later. But what happens…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Aug 18

How to Deal With Harsh Criticism of Your Writing

There’s nothing more vulnerable than the act of making up stories. Whether it’s an introspective personal story or a seat-of-your-exploding-pants thriller, you’re taking something out of your unfiltered imagination and putting it into the form of a product. That people then criticize. How do you handle that? Learning to deal with criticism is one of…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jul 22

What Zen Cho Learned From Throwing Two Novels Away

Zen Cho’s new debut novel Sorcerer to the Crown is getting all kinds of buzz (and we’re dying to read it.) But it’s not her first novel. She wrote two others, which she “binned” before even trying to publish them, as she explains her blog. Her whole blog post about tossing out two completed novels…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Jul 17

How To Raise The Stakes In Your Story Without Wrecking Your Characters

The best science fiction and fantasy stories are impossible to tear yourself away from — and often, that thrilling sense of momentum comes from the sense that the danger to the world keeps getting bigger and scarier. But how do you raise the stakes without sacrificing your characters? All images by Mateusz Orzminski (More at…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders May 19

Something To Think About Before Writing That “Edgy” Rape Scene

Geeks been debating the use of rape as a storytelling device for years, but that debate has come back to the fore in the past couple days, for obvious reasons. Author John Scalzi (Lock-In) offers a useful perspective, based on a lesson he learned early on from a mentor. (Warning for those who need it:…

io9 John Scalzi May 19

Here’s One Brilliant Recipe For A Story That Will Kick Anyone’s Ass

There’s no one secret formula for a great story, even if Pixar has its rules and other people have their own ideas. There are as many great shapes for a story to take as there are stories. But Chuck Wendig, author of the Blackbirds series, has a pretty great example of how to structure a…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders May 5

10 Ways To Create A Near-Future World That Won’t Look Too Dated

Writing about the world to come is a scary proposition, because nothing becomes obsolete faster than futuristic visions. Especially if you’re writing about a decade or two from now, your story risks looking ridiculous within a few years. So here are 10 tips to keep your near-future setting from looking too dated. All artwork by…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 17

Max Brooks’ Advice To New Writers: “Be Brave, Put Your Stuff Out There”

Max Brooks has had a pretty amazing career, including the acclaimed novel World War Z. But he has one regret — that he didn’t start publishing way, way earlier. In a new interview, he advises writers not to let fear of judgment hold them back. Talking to SF Crows Nest‘s Patrick McMahon, Brooks says: SFC:…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Mar 31

2 Secrets To Writing A Story That People Can’t Tear Themselves Away From

When people talk about how to write a great story, you hear a lot about structure, and how to lay down the track so that the audience is swept along. But writer Frank Cottrell Boyce has some fantastic advice about the true secret of writing a story (or movie) that people can’t get enough of:…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Mar 17

The Greatest Advice For Science Fiction Writers: “Ask The Next Question”

Theodore Sturgeon, who would have turned 97 today, was one of the all-time great science fiction writers. And he came up with a great maxim that defines much of what SF authors do to make their work extraordinary: “Ask the next question.” Some current authors explain how this maxim shapes everything they do. Here’s how…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Feb 26

writing advice

Grammarly Allegedly ‘Misappropriated’ Names of Journalists, Says Class Action Suit

The Authors of The Kingkiller Chronicle and An Ember in the Ashes Offer Writing Advice in This Fun Chat

10 Vital Storytelling Lessons I Learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do To Make Your Writing More Awesome

How to Make People Fall in Love With Your Ridiculously Competent Hero

The Two Most Powerful Words That You Can Say To Yourself While Writing

The Difference Between a Great Story and a Shitty Story Is Often Really Tiny

Proof That Playing With Toy Model Kits Will Prove Invaluable In Later Life

The Secret of Writing An Action Movie in Book Form

How To Handle Rejection of Your Writing, Without Becoming a Basket Case

Help! I Put A Placeholder In My Story—And It Became Permanent!

How to Deal With Harsh Criticism of Your Writing

What Zen Cho Learned From Throwing Two Novels Away

How To Raise The Stakes In Your Story Without Wrecking Your Characters

Something To Think About Before Writing That “Edgy” Rape Scene

Here’s One Brilliant Recipe For A Story That Will Kick Anyone’s Ass

10 Ways To Create A Near-Future World That Won’t Look Too Dated

Max Brooks’ Advice To New Writers: “Be Brave, Put Your Stuff Out There”

2 Secrets To Writing A Story That People Can’t Tear Themselves Away From

The Greatest Advice For Science Fiction Writers: “Ask The Next Question”

‘Good Omens’ Season 3 Is Still Just One Episode, Despite Being Called That

Steam Gaming Has Arrived on Apple Vision Pro, and It’s Unexpectedly Glorious

RFK Jr. Will Take on Joe Rogan for Podcaster Supremacy

The Spymaster’s Guide to the Secret Agencies of ‘Star Trek’

Uber Is Testing Driverless Volkswagen ID. Buzz Vans in Los Angeles

Cast Adrift, Meta Employees Have No Idea Who the ‘Token Legend’ Is Anymore

Microsoft Office 2024 and Windows 11 Pro Bundle Hits 76% Off, a Complete PC Setup for Less

You Can Add ‘Lamp That Folds Your Laundry’ to the List of Doomed Startups

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

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