Beth Freely
Bio
Beth A. Freely calls Texas home and she loves comic book super hero movies, Star Wars and shooting pool. She is an accomplished writer and published author and holds a Bachelor's in Journalism and a Master's in English and Creative Writing.
Stories (25)
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Make Your Characters Believable, Make Them Quirky
How do you make your characters believable? Whether you write plot-driven novels or character-driven ones, your characters need to seem natural and human. They are the foundation of any great novel. You already know how to build your characters, starting with a tiny spark and fanning that spark until you have a well-formulated character with a personality, motivation, backstory, and voice. But that may not be enough to truly bring your character to life. If you want your character to resonate with your readers, make them quirky.
By Beth Freely2 years ago in Writers
Narrative Writing – What Is It and Why Do I Care?
Narrative writing is the bread and butter of all good storytellers. It is how we tell our stories, connecting the events, the people, and the places together. But narrative is so much more. While a “story” can catch the reader’s attention, it leaves it up to the reader to draw their own conclusion when the story ends. However, a “narrative” is the combination of the story and the plot that drive it. It unites all the distinct events in the short story, novel, or essay – fiction and nonfiction alike – and typically contains a beginning, middle, and end.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
New York, Rome, Milan: Writing About Places You've Never Visited
Setting is an important part of any story. Whether it’s a memoir or a fiction novel, your story’s location can help set the tone of the story. It shows your character’s strengths and weaknesses and bolsters the overall theme of the novel. While visiting the location you plan to use in your book firsthand is always preferred, sometimes it’s not feasible. For example, my novel The Loch takes place in Balloch, Scotland. Scotland is on my bucket list, but I have yet to make it there.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
Getting Your Readers Invested In Your Story
Reading a book is an investment. It’s an investment of the reader’s time, trust, and mental fortitude. After all, they took a chance on your book. They are expecting you to deliver on your story. So how do you make sure this happens? How do you get your reader invested in your story from the first word to the last?
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
Horror Writing…Or…How to Scare Your Readers To "Death". Top Story - October 2021.
Edgar Allan Poe. Stephen King. Anne Rice. H.P. Lovecraft. Bram Stoker. Mary Shelley. These are all names that most of us know from the spooky and scary stories they write. They are the masters of the horror fiction genre, thrilling their fans with stories of the unnatural, the gruesome and grotesque, and the shocking. They have helped create one of the most enduring genres in the world, basing it on ancient folklore and tales about witches, evil spirits, and the supernatural.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Horror
The Conundrum That Is “Show Don’t Tell”
“Show don’t tell.” It can be the bane of fiction writers everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you are new to writing fiction or a seasoned veteran, it is one of those writing rules we all try to follow without compromising our creativity and writing style. But are there instances in your story when it is better to “tell” than “show?” The answer is yes, however, it’s not that cut and dry.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
The Sidekick: Your Hero’s Voice of Reason
Dick Grayson. Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson. Scooby-Doo. Samwise Gamgee. Wong. Jimmy Olsen. They all have one thing in common: they are the sidekicks, the voice of reason to their respective hero…or vigilante in Dick Grayson’s case. These are the close friends of our favorite fictional characters. It is their job to help the main characters see reason. They watch the other’s back. Sidekicks help the reader or viewer discover different aspects of the main character’s personality. They are the ones the main character turns to for advice. Or a good swift kick in the buttocks.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
Writing Sprints: Kick Start Your Writing Habit
We’ve all suffered from writer’s block and procrastination when it comes to our writing. And we’ve all seen the memes about how writers spend most of their time doing everything BUT writing. Sometimes it takes a real effort to get the words to flow. Even writing a blog like this can be taxing, let alone writing a novel. There is, however, a great way to combat that procrastination and writer’s block. It’s called a writing sprint and it forces you to start writing without stopping until you meet your goal.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
Finding Inspiration: Sucker for "Supernatural"
Okay, so I’ve got a thing for a pair of demon-hunting brothers that wear flannel, drive around in a classic car and swig too much booze. Vampires, werewolves, ghouls, ghosts, demons, angels, gods, monsters…yeah, I’ve been on a Supernatural binge-watching kick. At least once a year I start back over at the very first episode and work my way through 15 seasons of this television show. Right now, as I work on migrating websites at my regular 9-to-5 I’m listening to it. I’ve managed to make it to the middle of Season 2 in the course of a week.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Geeks
6 TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR CHARACTERS FOR NOVELS
It doesn’t matter if you use a character creation worksheet or jot down notes about them, creating a character takes time and patience. The characters in your novels are as complex as you and I. They can be imperfect and immoral. Or they can be saints and next to godliness. No matter which way they go on the compass of good and evil, flesh them out properly.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
There Is No Right or Wrong Way to Develop Your Characters
When I first started writing, I created a character sketch for every character in my story. I had templates with all my character information filling up multiple 3.5” disks (yes, 3.5” disks…don’t judge). When I completed my Masters's in English & Creative Writing, I had more in-depth questions that I never even thought to ask.
By Beth Freely4 years ago in Journal
