<span class="vcard">Adam Stemple</span>
Adam Stemple

Plotters vs. Pantsers

In the eternal debate about what is the best way to write, two terms have come into common usage: plotter and pantser. Plotters are the planners, the outliners, the writers that like everything in place before they write a single word. Pantsers (called so because they “fly by the seat of their pants”) are those who leap into the void, writing their way into and out of situations without a map. Despite the exclusivity of the terms, there are few, if any, writers who are purely one or the other. Most plotters do some improvisation, at least when writing scenes...

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Grinding Away

Three days in and the sheer mountain of information we’re planning on disseminating is daunting. But we’ve got the site mostly wireframed now, which makes the task at least possible. Chris is a beast at creating guides and articles while I’m massaging the website into shape and editing what he sends me. I’m especially excited about the genre guides. We’ve roughed out a format for them, and I think they’re going to be a resource that our members will return to again and again to keep them on the path to writing success. They’re going to be a bear to …

Don’t Get Rid of All the Negative People in Your Life

Let’s talk about critics. There are a lot of affirmations rolling around the internet about how you must get rid of the negative people in your life. And while this can be helpful to your self-esteem, jettisoning everyone who is the slightest bit critical of your decisions is limiting to self-growth. I am speaking mostly, of course, about writing. My best friends are extremely critical of my work. Hell, I give them my manuscripts with the express intent of them being critical of it. It’s how I improve it. The more I engage with this process, the better my work...

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Books to Read for Writing Fantasy

Nobody springs fully formed from the head of Zeus, and none less so than the writer. To attain any skill in writing, we devour thousands of books, write millions of words, and talk endlessly with each other about the act of turning our private thoughts into stories for strangers’ consumption. This list isn’t anywhere near exhaustive, and some of the selections may seem downright strange, but I’m hoping to showcase some books that maybe you haven’t heard of before. Note: I am a big early/middle medieval guy, so a lot of the history books on this list are centered around that time...

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Writing that Resonates

Resonate. It’s the word I use most often when talking about writing. But what does it really mean? Take the word home. The dictionary definition is “The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.” But that’s not what anyone thinks when they hear the word. They think of their home. What it looks like, what it sounds and smells like, how it feels to be there. They think of the people who occupy it and the often complex emotions they engender. They think about history and family and legacy and…well, you get the …

Know What You Want

Why do you want to sell your book? Is it to make money? Or is it to be validated as an author? (Hint: there is no wrong answer.) I was a traditional author. Published nine novels through houses of varying sizes, from the Big Five to small presses and a few in between. Even won an award. But I left it behind to self-publish. Why? There were a lot of factors involved, but what it mostly came down to was control. In traditional publishing, I had no control. Publishers told me whether the book would be published or not. Editors …

Written Well — The Journey Begins

I am beyond excited to start work on this website with my longtime friend and business partner, Chris Wallace. We came to writing from very different trajectories, but the great passion and intensity we feel for it is the same. A little background on us: I come from a writing family. My mother is renowned children’s book author Jane Yolen. My sister is an award-winning children’s book author, as well. I’m a rebel. I write mostly adult books. I was traditionally published at the age of sixteen with the publication of The Lullaby Songbook, a collection of lullabies that my …

How to Quit Your Day Job and Write Full-Time

The first thing to know about quitting your day job and writing full-time is don’t quit your day job. 99.9% of writers got into writing for the love and joy that writing provided them. It can be difficult to maintain those emotions when you have to do it for work. If you have a job that you can stand and provides you a decent living, hold onto it and write in your free time. You won’t burn out on the writing and you might make a little money on the side. But you’re not here for that, are you? Good,...

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