Outside
The early castles were usually a type called motte-and-bailey. Castle builders made a huge, steep, earth mound surrounded by a very deep ditch. Around the top of the mound they erected a timber wall. Within the wall was a stronghold called a keep which was usually a tall, wooden, rectangular tower. Below the motte there [...]

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The following was in an email sent by a member of my writing group. Thanks, Joy. I think it tells a good story and wanted to share it. The words that follow spoke to me and I hope they speak to you too.
A professor filled a quart mason jar with golf balls and asked if [...]

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I’m not sure where the information originally came from but thanks go to Kristine from the AFWD group for sharing.
1) Exposition or Introduction
Establishes tone, setting, some of main characters, previous events to understand play, and main conflict.
2) Rising Action
A series of complications for the protagonist that come out of the main conflict.
3) Crisis or Turning [...]

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I decided to add the link to the Snowflake Process to the navigation bar to your right. It’s worth trying.
I have spent longer than I planned on Step 3 and I’m still not entirely happy with the profiles I have but I will go back and modify them later. I think I need [...]

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I’ve been reading a lot of young adult novels lately and think it’s time I read something for adults. Passagehas been sitting on my book shelf for some time and the blurb sounds interesting. It’s not fantasy but that will probably make a pleasant change.
The novel is over 700 pages long and as [...]

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Warning: This is not suitable for children or the faint hearted.

The Egyptians believed that there was a life after death. According to them, when someone died the soul went on living and needed its body to return to. So the body was carefully preserved in a process called mummification. High-ranking officials, priests and other [...]

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PRE-DYNASTIC PERIOD: c.5000-3100 BC
This period predates the unification of the northern and southern parts of Egypt. Settlements were established beside the Nile River. By 3500 BC, Hierakonpolis in Upper Egypt was the largest Egyptian settlement with the busy town spread out along the Nile for over three kilometres. Hieroglyphs made their first appearance toward the [...]

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When writing, nothing should happen at random. Every element in a story should be for a reason. Names, places, actions and events should all have a purpose. If it isn’t going to lead somewhere, delete it.
Here is what you need for a very basic plot:

A likeable lead character who has a desperate need for something, [...]

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I’m taking my time working through the steps of the Snowflake Process.
Step 1 was easy enough. I had to write a sentence in up to 15 words showing the overall story. I wrote several versions and then tailored the one that best describes my proposed manuscript.
Step 2 was much harder. [...]

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It’s your story so why not create your own world.
Personally, the thing I especially like about writing fantasy novels is the opportunity to create my own world. The people and the place can be exactly how I want them to be because it is a fantasy world, I don’t have to follow rules. The world, [...]

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