Yessica Jain
Playing with Perspective (in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Stories)
“Everyone is the hero of their own story,” said John Barth. Most people are intrinsically aware of this, but many writers are averse to...
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Yessica Jain
- May 11
Freytag’s Diagram & Common Plot Types
In elementary school, we learn about Freytag’s diagram, the supposed general outline of every plot in the universe. The idea is: a story...
Yessica Jain
- Feb 16
Romance Tropes
In honor of Valentine’s day, I wanted to dedicate this week’s post to romance tropes. Almost every young adult novel has a romantic...
Yessica Jain
- Feb 9
Finding Inspiration for Your Story
All writers know that feeling… when you want to write, and you know you want to write, but you don’t know what to write about. Finding...
Yessica Jain
- Jan 5
Story Beginnings: Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Last week, I focused on story endings, but before every ending comes a beginning. A strong hook is an important part of all stories....
Yessica Jain
- Dec 29, 2022
Types of Story Endings
With the end of the year just around the corner, I wanted to spend this post focusing on story endings. Like everything with writing,...
Yessica Jain
- Dec 15, 2022
Mixing Genres
Stories are defined by their genres—often more so than their characters or their plot. Whether you want to publish your story or simply...
Yessica Jain
- Dec 1, 2022
Using the Real World as Inspiration
Observation is the key to good writing. Whether you write realistic fiction or high fantasy or anything in between, grounding aspects of...
Yessica Jain
- Oct 27, 2022
Getting Ready for National Novel Writing Month
This week is the last of October, which means National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is just around the corner. NaNoWriMo is an event...
Yessica Jain
- Oct 20, 2022
Types of Writing Prompts
If you’re interested in launching a writing club, setting up an Instagram writing account, or simply motivating your friends to write,...
Yessica Jain
- Oct 13, 2022
Balancing Subplots
Without a plot, a story doesn’t exist. But with only one plot, a good story rarely exists. That’s why subplots exist. This week’s post is...
Yessica Jain
- Sep 15, 2022
Journalism: Overview
I recently completed a six-week internship with Young Voices, which is a journalism company that helps young writers write and publish...
Yessica Jain
- Aug 25, 2022
Screenwriting: Layout & Formatting
Screenwriting—the art of writing screenplays for films or TV shows—can be really exciting. It’s a great way to exercise your description...
Trisha Reddy
- Jul 28, 2022
Interconnected Short Story Collections
Until a few years ago, I was under the impression that novels were the only form of literature worth pursuing. I didn’t even consider the...
Yessica Jain
- Jun 23, 2022
Worldbuilding for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Speculative Fiction
What makes a good story? Yes, you need characters and plotlines that intrigue your readers. But, importantly, setting is also one of the...
Yessica Jain
- Jun 16, 2022
Writing Shorter Works: Flash Fiction & Short Stories
Last week, my short story titled The Perfect King was published in Issue IV of Juven Press, a youth literary magazine. Read the issue...
Yessica Jain
- Jun 2, 2022
Diversity in Literature
Happy Pride Month! In honor of pride month, this week’s post talks about the importance of diversity in literature and how to incorporate...
Yessica Jain
- May 26, 2022
How to Raise the Stakes in Your Story
Stakes are the lifeblood of every story. If there’s nothing at stake for the characters, there’s nothing at stake for the readers. If...
Yessica Jain
- May 12, 2022
Types of Books Series
Think of three books. Odds are, at least one of them is part of a series. Book series give readers more of what they love, while letting...
Tai Nakamura
- May 5, 2022
Connecting to Your Writing
Experimentation is the key to great writing, so it's important to sometimes step out of your comfort zone to give the reader more ways to...
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