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“Standalone With Series Potential” Has A Catch

March 7, 2026March 7, 2026 by A.B. Channing
You are gazing up from the base of the leaning tower of Pisa, except made of books. Books with antique covers and glittering gold sprayed edges. They teeter, precarious, in laughing defiance of gravity and god. In a strong gust, they are poised to topple. Their cataclysmic collapse will obliterate the coffee cup or inkwell of whoever dares to labor in their shadow… Okay, really it’s just a stack of pretty books made by someone who really hates organizing. I’m being dramatic.

You can’t always have your cake and eat it too. How about a muffin?

Categories Story Structure, Writing Advice Leave a comment

How To Predict Book Size (Before You’ve Even Started Writing)

March 7, 2026February 6, 2026 by A.B. Channing
A selection of eggs clusters tastefully against a blue-grey background. They are all white, but vary in size. The difference between the smallest and the largest is appreciable, but still nowhere near the size gap between the short story you tried to write and the six-book series you ended up with.

Never write an accidental series again!
(Results may vary)

Categories Story Structure, Writing Advice Leave a comment

6 Ways Character Death Can Hurt Your Story

February 8, 2026September 21, 2025 by A.B. Channing
Before you is a cemetery, or perhaps simply a collection of gravestones overlooking a lake. Buried here are all your favourite characters. Their authors probably did this on purpose, to torment you.

“Kill your darlings” wasn’t meant to be taken literally.

Categories Representation, Writing Advice Leave a comment

George R.R. Martin Doesn’t Owe You His Books

March 7, 2026May 30, 2025 by A.B. Channing
George R.R. Martin always looks a little like he lost his way home to Middle Earth, though I don't think he was ever friends with Tolkien. His taste in clothing is impeccable. And the dwarves would be proud of that beard.

What happens when an author leaves readers hanging, then calls them out? Drama.

Categories Author Life, In The News Leave a comment

The Last Mile Trial: Why Finishing A Series Is So Damn Hard

February 9, 2026May 29, 2025 by A.B. Channing
A road with tight switchbacks winds up a mountain beneath you. Driving that would probably give you vertigo, and walking it would probably give you blisters. Luckily, you're a camera drone.

Stuck on those final books? Welcome to the club, friend. I’m so sorry.

Categories Author Life, Personal, Writing Advice Leave a comment

Your Fictional Matriarchy Isn’t Inclusive

September 21, 2025May 24, 2025 by A.B. Channing
A chess queen stands disdainfully before the fallen king-piece at her feet. The game is won, but her reign has only just begun.

Pink patriarchy makes great gender revenge. It’s not so good at inclusion.

Categories Representation, Worldbuilding, Writing Advice Leave a comment

Writing An Identity I Struggle To Love (Because It’s Mine)

February 9, 2026April 2, 2025 by A.B. Channing
The silhouette of a man stands alone on a rocky outcrop beneath the skeleton of a gnarled desert tree. Behind and over them both is a sky full of stars.

No one is above internalized bias. I am no exception.

Categories Author Life, Personal, Representation Leave a comment

How To Write Casual Representation

September 21, 2025March 11, 2025 by A.B. Channing
A protester holds up a sign that reads, "I understand that I will never understand, but I stand with you." The world could stand to hear this message daily.

It’s entirely possible to write an identity you don’t share. Here’s how to do it well.

Categories Representation, Writing Advice Leave a comment

10 Ways To Identify Your Queer Characters Without Labels

February 9, 2026February 28, 2025 by A.B. Channing
A young woman looks into the camera, smiling faintly. She has long, dark hair and a wide-brimmed hat that the lesbians would love. Rainbow light reflects across her face. It is unclear whether she's standing behind a suncatcher, sneezed into a pot of pixie dust, or just woke up very gay today.

Just paint rainbows on their foreheads. How hard can it be?

Categories Representation, Writing Advice Leave a comment

When Should You Reveal A Queer Character?

February 9, 2026January 17, 2025 by A.B. Channing
The night sky lights up with a stunning display of multicolored fireworks. If you look closely, they're being launched from a castle wall... but most people who see this image visually will probably miss that part!

Where do you plant that rainbow flag, on a scale of “page one” to “is this even relevant?”

Categories Representation, Writing Advice Leave a comment
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  • You are gazing up from the base of the leaning tower of Pisa, except made of books. Books with antique covers and glittering gold sprayed edges. They teeter, precarious, in laughing defiance of gravity and god. In a strong gust, they are poised to topple. Their cataclysmic collapse will obliterate the coffee cup or inkwell of whoever dares to labor in their shadow… Okay, really it’s just a stack of pretty books made by someone who really hates organizing. I’m being dramatic.
    “Standalone With Series Potential” Has A Catch
  • A selection of eggs clusters tastefully against a blue-grey background. They are all white, but vary in size. The difference between the smallest and the largest is appreciable, but still nowhere near the size gap between the short story you tried to write and the six-book series you ended up with.
    How To Predict Book Size (Before You’ve Even Started Writing)
  • Before you is a cemetery, or perhaps simply a collection of gravestones overlooking a lake. Buried here are all your favourite characters. Their authors probably did this on purpose, to torment you.
    6 Ways Character Death Can Hurt Your Story

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  • Representation (9)
  • Story Structure (2)
  • Worldbuilding (2)
  • Writing Advice (11)

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