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Colleen McCracken

Fantasy & Sci-fi Author

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Category: Writing Tips

Unsolicited advice from your local opinionated writer.

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Writing Tips

So, you want to retell a fairy tale

colleenmccrackenJune 20, 2022June 29, 2022

Once upon a time, I got bit by a story bug and spent the entire weekend doing barrels and barrels

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Writing Tips

How to ace Lovecraftian horror and creep everyone out

colleenmccrackenMay 27, 2022May 27, 2022

HAPPY STRANGER THINGS DAY!!! In honor of the long-awaited arrival of season 4 of one of my favorite shows of

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Writing Tips

How to communicate that tragic backstory you worked so stinkin’ hard on

colleenmccrackenMay 19, 2022May 19, 2022

You’ve spent hours. You’ve been slaving away. You’ve taken seventeen different personality tests, generated a full horoscope analysis that was

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Writing Tips

The ultimate first chapter checklist

colleenmccrackenMay 5, 2022May 5, 2022

Nothing scares people like first chapters, and there’s a good reason for that. From a marketing perspective, it’s the highest-stakes

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Writing Tips

How to give your book a theme that really sticks

colleenmccrackenApril 28, 2022April 28, 2022

People always ask you what your favorite quote is – nobody ever asks you what your least favorite quote is.

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Writing Tips

An engineer’s guide to writing realistic sci-fi

colleenmccrackenApril 21, 2022April 21, 2022

Let me say one thing very loudly and very clearly right now: sci-fi does not have to be scientifically accurate

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Reviews Writing Tips

Books every writer should have on their shelf

colleenmccrackenApril 17, 2022April 17, 2022

I have a problem, and my problem is reference books. I would say I collect them, but that’s not quite

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Writing Tips

Freewriting: the best writing exercise I know

colleenmccrackenApril 14, 2022April 14, 2022

The first college class I ever sat down in was English 101. I’d already been writing as a hobby for

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Writing Tips

How to write a little horror into any genre

colleenmccrackenApril 7, 2022April 7, 2022

There’s something really cool about writing horror that makes it incredibly fun to play with, and that is its ability

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Writing Tips

How to survive Camp Nanowrimo and have fun doing it

colleenmccrackenApril 3, 2022May 18, 2025

Happy April, everyone! The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, allergy season is beginning to reassert its dominance over

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About Me

Hi, I'm Helen! I write fantasy and sci-fi under the pen name Colleen McCracken. I'm a bookworm and literary analysis junkie from the Pacific Northwest heading down the road toward publication, and sharing advice, analysis, and updates along the way. I hope to publish my debut fantasy novel, Hunter of Seals, in 2025.

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Recent Posts

  • So you need to pick an editor… now what?
  • So you got some feedback… now what?
  • The magic and terror of sharing your writing
  • A sci-fi author’s guide to Sanderson’s Laws
  • Character design, and how to make it up as you go

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