Hello my fellow Episodians!
I’m Marina Cobange, although I have written and published stories under different names. I’m here to bring you some of what I believe are some pretty wicked story recommendations. I’ll also leave some of my top story writing tips below for some of our new community authors! So, let’s get into it, shall we?
Marina’s Recommendations
- Public Relations by Victoria D (currently at 978 reads, so it is a REAL hidden gem!)
- Scandalous by Mina (currently at 35 reads, but trust me when I say, this story is incredible.)
- 21 Dates by the one and only MEILA SUMMERS (this story is her baby, I swear do not diss her baby.)
- Bite Me (RM) by Scarlett M. King (I read the classic version ages ago and I was so happy to see this in Ink!)
- Charming Hexes by Tee S. (Literally such a cool read, really. Try it!)
Now, for some of my top tips!
- Consider starting off with a contest entry! You don’t need to worry so much about a long-term plot, as they are usually done in under 5 episodes, and you’ll get some recognition!
- Even if English is not your first language, you can still put in the time to make sure there are minimal errors in your story, especially grammatical ones. It’s okay to have some mistakes! We are human, it is understandable! Just don’t rush it, and make sure to proof read! Even invest some time in searching for some beta-readers to help you out along the way!
- Avoid the typical stereotypes as much as you are comfortable. By this, I mean avoid the token coloured best friend who rarely speaks and has no real relevance other than to provide the illusion of inclusiveness. Also, avoid the villain trifecta, or in other words, the three mean girls who are more often than not blonde.
- INSPIRATION NOT PLAGIARISM! It’s okay to find some inspo from a story you love, but not to regurgitate it. I don’t mean any offence to all these people who write about the Mafia and so on, but this is DANGEROUS, and most of these people have no clue about the Mafia… and just think it is full of hot and broken bad boys… If you are new, take some inspo of the action, the fight scenes, the strong love! Take that and turn it into something new! Maybe a sci-fi about a love between cadets who are supposed to only dedicate their loyalty to their commander. Something fresh and exciting that uses some of our guilty reading pleasures is bound to get some attention!
So, that’s all from me today! Hope this helps and gets you inspired! If you want to contact me, check out my Instagram (@pixieauthor) and send me a DM!
Lots of love,
Mari x