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Descriptive Language that Sparkles
Kill your darlings! Get to the point! Plot over prose! How many times have you heard advice about simplifying your writing for middle...
Russell Hirsch
Oct 25, 20232 min read
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SIWC - Simply Inspiring Writers' Conference
We all know the feeling of finding our tribe. Whether we were kids discovering new friends on the playground, teens navigating a new...
Russell Hirsch
Oct 10, 20231 min read
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Middle Grade Fantasy Word Counts – Part 2
Last post, I dove into an investigation of Middle Grade fantasy word counts using a random selection of novels from my own shelf. The...
Russell Hirsch
Sep 26, 2023


Middle Grade Fantasy Word Counts – Part 1
If you’re an over-writer like me, you probably agonize over word counts. If you’re an under-writer, you probably also agonize over word...
Russell Hirsch
Sep 12, 2023


Imagine that! Opening and Closing Images
Great books begin with great openings. It’s our first taste of a story that will excite, move, and enthrall us. And endings are just as...
Russell Hirsch
Aug 30, 2023


Making Music With Words
Great writing has two main components: The “storytelling” component — big, structural things, like an exciting plot, good pacing, and...
Russell Hirsch
Aug 15, 2023


Setting the Scene
We’ve all heard of writers grappling with the blank white page. But sometimes, writers leave readers grappling with a frustrating...
Russell Hirsch
Aug 1, 2023


Exposition 101 – SPELL SWEEPER
Today, we continue to unravel that most dreaded of all fantasy writing phenomena… EXPOSITION! Oh, so messy… Writers know that getting...
Russell Hirsch
Jul 18, 2023


EXPOSITION 101 – Fablehaven
Exposition. Few words strike more fear into writers. Not exposition! Noooooo! Exposition is the explanatory stuff within a story. The...
Russell Hirsch
Jul 5, 2023


The YAK Speaks: Messy Rough Drafts
The YAK features articles devoted to Education, Writing, Children’s Literature, and Speech Arts. It is published by The Bolton Academy of...
Russell Hirsch
Nov 18, 2018


Lessons from a First Novel: Supercharging the 2nd Act
The Second Act is the middle section of a novel and usually the biggest chunk of a book. It spans from when a character is first thrust...
Russell Hirsch
Sep 12, 2018


Lessons from a First Novel: Worldbuilding from the Inside-Out
Perhaps nothing simultaneously excites and intimidates a fantasy author as much as worldbuilding—crafting the geography, history,...
Russell Hirsch
Aug 19, 2018


Lessons from a First Novel: Plotters, Pantsers, and Outlines—oh my!
Today, I continue “Lessons from a First Novel” by reflecting on the outlining process. In writer slang there are Plotters and Pantsers....
Russell Hirsch
Aug 12, 2018


Lessons from a First Novel: Patterns and Parameters
Last winter, I finished a polished draft of my first novel manuscript. Of course, “finished” and “polished” are words that automatically...
Russell Hirsch
Aug 6, 2018


Graced with Epic-ness: Kristin Cashore’s Series Structure
In this post, I finish my examination of Kristin Cashore’s excellent Graceling Realms series. (Part one here!) The title of the post may...
Russell Hirsch
Jun 17, 2018


Graces and Ghosts: Kristin Cashore’s Elegiac Fantasy
***Onward, there be spoilers!*** Although the series is beloved first and foremost for its powerful and deep-feeling heroines, a central...
Russell Hirsch
Jun 10, 2018


Writing Rewind! Tips from Recent Reads
Today, I break down a few skills (skillz?) on display in recent reads from the past month, specifically, books by Sayantani Dasgupta,...
Russell Hirsch
Apr 5, 2018


#TBT Interview with Kenneth Oppel
Today, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre announced its slate of fantastic finalists for the annual TD Canadian Children’s Literature...
Russell Hirsch
Sep 7, 2017


Reflections on a Creative Writing Degree
Next month I finish my Master’s degree, so I thought it time to weigh in on a question many aspiring writers ask : should I get a degree...
Russell Hirsch
Aug 26, 2017


The Impossible and Inevitable Potter
Today is Harry Potter’s 37th birthday and in homage to the birthday boy-who-lived and the continuing summer festivities marking the 20th...
Russell Hirsch
Jul 31, 2017


Indigenous Children’s Literature Resources
For March, I have the special pleasure of doing a guest post for the wonderful folks at The Book Wars, an awesome site devoted to...
Russell Hirsch
Mar 26, 2017


3 Wonderful Writing Resources
Well, we’ve turned the page on 2016 and are getting into the swing of the new year, but if you’re still seeking fresh inspirations for...
Russell Hirsch
Jan 22, 2017
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