#writingadvice

of blades & thorns

the official blog of author grace a. johnson

my top tips to authentic romance part ii

Grace A. Johnson

Jul 88 min read

my top tips to authentic romance part ii

Well, folks, I'm four months overdue, but I made it. The second half of my top tips to writing authentic romance. If you missed my...

97 views8 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Mar 258 min read

my top tips to authentic romance

If you haven’t noticed, I am a major advocate for authentic fiction. It’s what I love to read, and it’s become my value proposition, my...

127 views7 comments

top ten tips for writers | guest post by bella raine

Grace A. Johnson

Nov 27, 20236 min read

top ten tips for writers | guest post by bella raine

I've recently connected with the lovely Bella Raine, a Christian teenager writer, and she suggested we do a blog swap! We both wrote...

126 views6 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Nov 13, 20235 min read

is consistency really the key?

Back during the summer, I dropped some interesting insight into how my mind works. So my goals for this month are simple (I literally say...

132 views15 comments

guest post by katja labonté | my top writing tips

Grace A. Johnson

Jul 12, 20239 min read

guest post by katja labonté | my top writing tips

Y'all, I am super excited for today's Springtime in Surrey guest...none other than Katja Labonté!! I've so enjoyed following her blog the...

58 views9 comments

first chapters | overcoming the common mistakes

Grace A. Johnson

Apr 24, 20238 min read

first chapters | overcoming the common mistakes

The first chapter is a precarious little booger. If you’ve never struggled with those first few words, that first couple paragraphs, the...

101 views12 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Feb 10, 20238 min read

enemies-to-lovers: how to do it right

This romance trope everyone calls toxic is actually supposed to be one of the strongest and most beautiful relationships out there. Why?...

1,248 views16 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Feb 3, 20239 min read

3 tricks to writing vivid fight scenes

Admit it, fight scenes are difficult. Even the veteran writers who have watched their favorite movie fight scenes hundreds of times,...

92 views16 comments

guest post: insight on strong heroines by rina blackstone bennet

Grace A. Johnson

Feb 1, 202311 min read

guest post: insight on strong heroines by rina blackstone bennet

I don’t usually do these things, you know. Write articles, I mean. Oh, wait. I’m supposed to introduce myself? I told you blighters I’m...

66 views18 comments

5 tricks to writing pristine prose in any genre

Grace A. Johnson

Jan 18, 20236 min read

5 tricks to writing pristine prose in any genre

I don’t know about you, but my prose differs in some way in every single book, genre, and POV type I write. Sometimes, in a lovely...

74 views4 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 5: Comedy, Romance Movies, & Unintended Romance

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 29, 202215 min read

Romance Q&A Pt. 5: Comedy, Romance Movies, & Unintended Romance

Well...there are a few painful confessions in this bunch of questions! Who knows what hard truths you might learn about yours truly!...

128 views32 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 4: Love Songs, Heroines, & Christian Content

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 22, 202220 min read

Romance Q&A Pt. 4: Love Songs, Heroines, & Christian Content

This just might be my last installment, guys! I'm out of questions now, so unless y'all have more (BRING 'EM ON!), I'll be taking a break...

97 views21 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 3: Kisses, Chemistry & Why I Write Romance

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 12, 202217 min read

Romance Q&A Pt. 3: Kisses, Chemistry & Why I Write Romance

I don't know about y'all, but I am SO excited for this installment in my Romance Q&A series! Probably because I get to talk about some of...

177 views30 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 2: Cheesiness, Subplots, & Favorite Tropes

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 1, 202222 min read

Romance Q&A Pt. 2: Cheesiness, Subplots, & Favorite Tropes

DUDE. Y'all gave me some TOUGH questions, lemme tell ya. I had to do a LOT of thinking on these, and I still don't think my answers are...

126 views29 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 1: Married Couples, Subtlety, & the Importance of Romance

Grace A. Johnson

Jul 25, 202218 min read

Romance Q&A Pt. 1: Married Couples, Subtlety, & the Importance of Romance

WHOA. Y'all, it's only been about a week since I posted my romance Q&A form...and I've already got dozens of questions! I just picked out...

164 views28 comments

Grace A. Johnson

May 2, 20227 min read

New Release: Deceived by Madisyn Carlin

I dunno about y'all, but I am STOKED for Madisyn Carlin's debut novel, Deceived, which is a new adult Christian allegorical fantasy!...

91 views12 comments

Blogging for Authors: How Can I Make the Most of My Time?

Grace A. Johnson

Mar 23, 20227 min read

Blogging for Authors: How Can I Make the Most of My Time?

Well, it seems I was right! One of y’all’s biggest problems with maintaining a blog is time. Boy, do I feel you or what?! Time management...

97 views12 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Mar 18, 202210 min read

Is an Author Blog Worth it?

That, my dears, is an insanely good question. Personally, I know of a lot of authors with active blogs who dedicate time, money, and...

146 views29 comments

Popular Romance Tropes and How to Pull Them Off!

Grace A. Johnson

Oct 27, 202115 min read

Popular Romance Tropes and How to Pull Them Off!

You’ve used tropes in every story you’ve ever dreamed up. That may seem like an exaggeration, but it’s true. Tropes are the fuel behind...

240 views15 comments

Faith-Filled Romance: A Writer's Guide to Christian Romance

Grace A. Johnson

Oct 11, 202111 min read

Faith-Filled Romance: A Writer's Guide to Christian Romance

Romance novels have an audience of a whopping 29 million readers, according to The Balance Careers, making it one of the most popular...

217 views12 comments