M. J. Sayer

Why do you like writing?

We all like writing. So why, when I sit down to write, do I suddenly have 100 great reasons not to?

Cliché: A writer’s guilty pleasure

Sometimes, in the dark of night, I’ll sneak downstairs. And opening the fridge in the kitchen, I’ll find my secret treasure. A cliché.

Great Writing is like a Great Calzone

Whether it’s a written story or Italian cuisine, even the best ingredients need to be well layered

Soft Sci-Fi is Just Fantasy – and That’s a Good Thing

Space wizards and rocket scientists. You might think the two shouldn’t overlap. But whether you’re banishing a demon, or escaping a star going supernova, good writing is good writing.

Character and Theme: A look at Gideon the Ninth

I often considered theme an afterthought within a story, preferring instead to focus on plot and character. Here’s why I was wrong.

There are as many different ways to tell a story as there are stories to tell. Many writers worry about how they write: whether they’re writing too fast or too slow, whether their outline is too detailed or too sparse, or whether their story is even any good. When I started taking writing seriously, I’dContinue reading “How should I write?”

You’re Terrible… But That’s Okay

I came across a thread on Reddit where a new writer was asking for advice on how to improve and avoid mistakes. So here’s my advice to new writers. You ever see someone get on a bike for the first time, and wheelie perfectly? Or someone bounce on a trampoline, and effortlessly backflip? Then whyContinue reading “You’re Terrible… But That’s Okay”

Prompt: Drawing Connections

An activity to warm up your creative talents Choose a number, 1 to 5, and make a note of it. This will be your starting sentence. Then do the same twice more, keeping them in order. These will be your middle and last sentences. E.g. Starting sentence: 3 Middle sentence: 5 Last sentence: 2 ThenContinue reading “Prompt: Drawing Connections”

Every Line Matters

If you’ve spent any amount of time trying to improve your writing skills, you will undoubtedly have come across the idea that every line should be significant. New writers often rebuke this as pure nonsense. Arguing that great writing can carry the reader through inconsequential moments. “Sure,” they say, “this shopping list from 2350 mayContinue reading “Every Line Matters”