Author: Ozzy
-
There’s No Such Thing as a Wasted Draft
I’ve got entire folders full of unfinished stories. Scenes that trail off. Characters who never made it past chapter three. Worlds built and then left behind. Ideas that sparked brightly and then just… faded. I have a trilogy, the first ‘real’ writing I ever started – a full draft of book one, outlines for books…
-
Writing Advice is Not a Rulebook
Not every tip you read is meant for you. Some writers outline. Others don’t. Some write for a single, rigorously guarded hour every day. Others write in headlong, eight-hour long marathon sessions, then do nothing for a week or two. Some edit as they go. Others draft messy and clean it up later. The only…
-
Job #1: Tell the Story
It’s easy to get lost in the details. The structure. The pacing. The world-building. The themes. The voice. The rhythm of your prose. The way the light hits the side of the coffee cup in chapter two. All of that matters. Eventually. But your first responsibility—the one thing you have to do before any of…
-
Your First Draft Is Not Your Book
The first draft’s job is to get the story out of you. It’s not a book, not yet, but it’s the start of what your book will be.
-
A Writing Coach Is Not an Editor
There are different flavours of editor, but they all have that one thing in common—their work starts when the drafting is done.
-
The Hobbyist vs. The Professional
Hobbyists do it for love, and there’s no shame in that. Professionals show up and do the work. They treat writing like it’s a job.
-
Learn the Rules, Before You Break Them
The rules of writing are made to be broken, but you still need to know and understand them. Then, you can break them with intent, not out of ignorance.
-
To Write: Read
You’ve probably heard this before: “If you want to write, you have to read.” It’s one of those phrases that gets tossed around in writing advice circles, usually followed by a shrug and no real explanation. So let’s dig into it. Because it’s not just a vague platitude—it’s a truth. A deep, structural one. You…