Transforming Inspiration into a Fantastic Novel Setting Transforming Inspiration into a Fantastic Novel Setting By Megan Cutler | August 17, 2020 | Comments 1 comment One of my biggest inspirations for Dreamers Do Lie was Dante’s Inferno, as I mentioned a few weeks ago when I reviewed the anatomy of Dante’s Hell. There were several reasons I ultimately simplified my fantasy version of Hell, though I kind of ran out of room to talk about them last time. So I … Read More Read More
The Anatomy of Hell in Dreamers Do Lie The Anatomy of Hell in Dreamers Do Lie By Megan Cutler | August 3, 2020 | Comments 1 comment A significant chunk of my early preparations for Dreamers Do Lie was devoted to designing the world in which the story took place and defining the rules by which it functioned. It was really the first time I ever did anything like that. The setting for Island of Lost Forevers revealed itself to me as … Read More Read More
How Improper World Building Can Kill A Story How Improper World Building Can Kill A Story By Megan Cutler | April 20, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment World building is an important part of any story that doesn’t take place in the real world. Whether your setting spans an empire or the space of a single town, it’s important to know the rules that govern the space. We instinctively know how the real world works because we grow up in it and … Read More Read More
The Bond Between Sisters is Now Available! The Bond Between Sisters is Now Available! By Megan Cutler | February 17, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment It’s been a long time since I got to announce releasing a new book into the wild. So I’m pretty giddy to share the latest installment of Eternity’s Empire with everyone. The Bond Between Sisters is available on Amazon today! This book continues the tale of Aeternitas – black sheep of the galactic imperial family … Read More Read More
Once Upon a Dream – Book Two First Draft Complete Once Upon a Dream – Book Two First Draft Complete By Megan Cutler | January 20, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment I forgot how much I hate moving. There was a time we seemed to move every other year and I got used to it. In fact, I was eager for our last move. It brought us back to Canada from England – back to the familiar and easy to navigate. I had checklists and backup … Read More Read More
Once Upon a Dream – Book One First Draft Complete Once Upon a Dream – Book One First Draft Complete By Megan Cutler | November 4, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment Back in April I announced a new project. Once Upon a Dream is a series that has been kicking around in my head since 2011, so it’s been great to finally get the words on the page. I devoted a month to planning earlier in the year, in hopes the time between outlining and starting … Read More Read More
Introducing the New Eternity’s Empire – Available Now! Introducing the New Eternity’s Empire – Available Now! By Megan Cutler | October 21, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment Back in May, I announced some changes for the Eternity’s Empire series. While I’ve always enjoyed letting the story grow and change according to what feels best, I can’t ignore that its original incarnation was a genre onion. To some extent, perhaps it always will be. But in this case, the inconsistencies in the early … Read More Read More
An Exciting Adventure in Pike Place Market An Exciting Adventure in Pike Place Market By Megan Cutler | October 7, 2019 | Comments 3 comments Back in March, we took a trip to visit friends and ended up spending an absolutely fantastic day in Seattle. We filled the morning with a food tour featuring Pike Place Market and the afternoon with segways, which turned out to be way more awesome than we anticipated. Since then, my husband and I have … Read More Read More
What Makes a Good Story? What Makes a Good Story? By Megan Cutler | September 23, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment What makes a good story? Ask twenty different readers and you might get twenty different answers. Patterns usually start to emerge, though. Certain elements tend to draw people to stories, though the most important element will vary among individuals. Readers like stories with interesting characters they can connect to and identify with. They like exciting … Read More Read More
How Studying Plot Structure Makes Editing Smoother How Studying Plot Structure Makes Editing Smoother By Megan Cutler | August 26, 2019 | Comments 3 comments I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the nitty gritty, dirty nitpicking involved with the editing process. One of the first things people think of when they sit down to edit something they’ve written is proofreading and line editing. And it’s true that choosing the right words and making sure you have them in … Read More Read More