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Crystal Crawford
5 days ago16 min read
Questions from Growing Writers, #1: How do you write character arcs in a series?
Welcome to the first in a series of videos/blog posts I hope to make, answering questions submitted to me from young writers, aspiring...
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Crystal Crawford
Aug 9, 20212 min read
A Highly Recommended (Online) Writing Class!
Learn to make your fiction writing more powerful!
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Crystal Crawford
Jun 18, 20211 min read
What's Up with YA Parents?
A new Trope Talk video is up! This month we're chatting about the absent or clueless parent trope found in many young adult books. What...
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Crystal Crawford
May 21, 20211 min read
Introducing: Trope Talk Videos!
Grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and join us as we chat book tropes! I just launched a fun, new thing on YouTube: Trope Talk with MJ and...
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Crystal Crawford
Dec 31, 20203 min read
Writing Guides and Textbooks
Though I've always been a fiction writer, my first online writing endeavors were actually mostly nonfiction. While working as a Graduate...
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Crystal Crawford
Dec 30, 20202 min read
The Secret Messages Sweet YA Romance Series
Info on Crystal Crawford's YA romantic comedy book series, The Secret Messages Sweet YA Romance Series!
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Crystal Crawford
Oct 15, 20209 min read
Can an Onion Help You Write a Better Novel? (Introducing, the Plot Onion!)
this newest resource is for fiction-writers who – like me – struggle to keep the big-picture story neatly in mind while writing...
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Crystal Crawford
Jun 24, 20201 min read
Free Online Writing Course! (And an interview about my writing!)
Info on a free, online writing workshop I got the chance to beta-test... and they interviewed me about it, too!
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Crystal Crawford
Nov 19, 20185 min read
Plantsing: How Loose Outlines Save My Turkey… and My Books
If you’ve followed any of my series on Plotting, you know that I like plotting.But here’s my secret: I didn’t use to plot my stories at all.
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Crystal Crawford
Jan 15, 201810 min read
Secrets of “Show, Don’t Tell”: What It Really Means and How to Do It Well
A question I'm asked repeatedly: What about “Show, Don’t Tell”? How do I do it? What are the rules?
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Crystal Crawford
Nov 13, 20176 min read
Don’t Have Scrivener? How to Use Microsoft Word for All Your Writing Needs
Don’t have fancier software, but have Microsoft Word? Learn how to make the most of it for your writing process.
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Crystal Crawford
Aug 28, 20172 min read
Call for Community
Writing is solitary, but I have learned how much stronger and better, my writing can be when I have the benefit of a writing community.
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Crystal Crawford
Aug 7, 20174 min read
Helpful Books for Writers
As both a writer and a writing instructor, I read a lot of books on writing. Here are my top book recommendations for writers.
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Crystal Crawford
Jul 31, 20177 min read
Wattpad Can Make You a Better Writer
While my writing is no longer on Wattpad, I still stand by this post--Wattpad really did make me a better writer.
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Crystal Crawford
Jul 10, 20172 min read
Cringe-Worthy Can Be Good
There are two reasons a reader might cringe while reading a story... The difference between these two reasons can make or break a story.
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Crystal Crawford
Jun 25, 20173 min read
Fail Bravely
So this is my motivational speech to you today, any of you who are writers: GO FAIL. Here's why...
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Crystal Crawford
Jun 19, 20174 min read
Plot or Characters – Which Matters More?
Characters or plot – which matters more?
When you’re planning out a story, how do you decide what to focus on?
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