In the previous Writing Workshop, I discussed the importance of observing and recording what you see, hear, feel and experience in order to improve your stories. https://www.archeratwood.com/archeratwoodthewritingworkshop/writing-workshop-better-writer-observe-record/ I would like to expand on that idea by reviewing how you can use written resources to move your story along, improve your character’s personality, and help build the world they exist in. If you are a fiction writer, you have to invent believable characters and the places they walk through. The key word here is believable. That means you have to do your homework. This is especially true for my writer friends …

Observe and Record! I am sure you have all heard the saying, “Write what you know.” Most people interpret that to mean, only write about subject matters you are familiar with. Yes, that does make writing a story easier, but it will not fire your imagination to create something new and different that others will want to hear about. I instead like to think of it as, write about what you have observed and learned today! When I was a kid my Dad would haunt the local library after work. He loved history and would scour the books, magazines, and …