For this art feature we are going to highlight some creatures from the world of Thread of Souls! All art is done by co-author Talia, a self-taught artist who does this as a hobby.
All art is protected by Tal & Ru Travels LLC.
Enjoy !
Cherrisil
These little creatures live in Eleste’si, a capital city. They like to snack on the cherry blossoms that are so abundant! While some people in the city think they are cute, others get upset when they ruin carefully curated cherry blossom trees during peak season.
Stone Snakes
These are pests in the Deep Hollows. They look just like stones, and so they use the landscape as camouflage to hide and attack. Though they don’t eat people, if someone steps in the wrong area, they can get bitten!
Timberland Mammoth
These creatures make an appearance in Thread of Souls book four, Asunder. They wander the Pale Timberlands near the Citadel. The people that live there respect them and give them distance, living in harmony.
Wight
Wights make an appearance in Thread of Souls book three, Path of the Spiders. These are a frightening subspecies of undead, aggressive and menacing. They bring with them a chill sure to frighten any adventurer.
What is a collaborative TTPRG check-in, and why is it important? These check-ins are when players together, or a GM and a player, take time to talk about the game they are playing. It’s a great opportunity to brainstorm ideas for the story ahead, as well as talk about character development.
We’ve employed these TTPRG check-ins throughout our nearly eight years of playing. We did it when we had a very large group at the table, and we do it even more now with just the two of us.
These can be formal, sit-down occasions with note taking. Or they can be more informal text messages whenever you’re free. It depends on the schedule of the people involved, and how much you want to cover.
These check-ins are so important for the game to be what everyone wants it to be. For everyone to have fun at the table. And to tell a mutual story together.
Here is what we recommend discussing during your check-ins:
Character Development – This is a very broad topic. But you should talk about what you want the future to look like for your character. This can evolve as the game carries on, and the plot affects your character. It’s great to talk about where their mind is at, what they are feeling right now, and what you’d like to explore with them next.
Character Backstories – You can touch base about how to involve your character backstory in the next section of the campaign in either a major or minor way. This gives your character agency and motivation to go on quests.
Battles – You can talk about enemies you’d like to fight and interesting encounters you’d like to have. Combining ideas helps battles not to feel repetitive and gives everyone their dream fight. A giant anaconda in a swamp? Battling a yeti while escaping an avalanche? A pirate ship battle? All of it is possible if you share your ideas!
The Overall Plot – Obviously this depends on how much players and GMs are involved together in the story. Some players want to know nothing and be completely surprised. Other times they like to collaborate with the GM on what they’d like to see. Be respectful of everyone’s ideas. A player who is so invested in the story they want to brainstorm, and a GM who wants to surprise players so much they keep secrets, are not bad things. They are good things. And they can work together to both get what they want.
Passion for the story you are telling together is a wonderful thing to have. That’s why sharing ideas collaboratively is good for everyone. Just remember to be respectful of what the GM or other players also have in mind. We can assure you, there’s room for everyone’s ideas at the table.
If your story is like a car, then conflict is like the tires. If you can drive conflict effectively in your stories, then you can go places. For some writers, creating conflict comes naturally. But for others it can be more of a challenge. You have an idea for a setting and compelling characters, but how do you create an interesting story?
Here are our top tips for driving conflict.
Make it Personal
The difference between a plot-driven story and a character-driven story is that it’s personal. Your characters need to have a personal connection to the conflict happening. If the character can walk away from the problem, then it’s not really a problem at all. They need to have a reason that the stakes affect them and their lives. Here are some good examples:
Star Wars: Luke is Darth Vader’s son, making the conflict and the stakes very personal to his life.
Lord of the Rings: Eowyn watched Sauron’s army destroy her land, kill her cousin, get her brother exiled, and nearly kill her uncle. She has a personal reason to join the army and fight for justice.
Thread of Souls: Brother Zok’s trusted mentor is murdered by someone inside his own Order. He has a personal reason to uncover the corruption, save his Order, and provide justice for his mentor.
Give it a Time Limit
Having a time limit for your conflict provides a sense of urgency that propels your story forward. After all, if all your characters know is the world will end “someday”, then why should they try to stop it from happening? That doesn’t mean you need a hard number and a countdown. But there should be a sense of an impending deadline. Here are some examples:
Pride & Prejudice: The Bennett family knows that if they don’t track down their eloped sister and her new husband quickly, word will get out and the family reputation will be ruined forever.
Harry Potter: With each passing day Voldemort’s army grows stronger, more aggressive, and kills more people. Our heroes know they must stop him before he takes over the whole wizarding world.
Thread of Souls: Jade’s visions of a dragon destroying her home city progressively grow more violent and include more detail, reflecting her current life. This tells her that if she doesn’t act fast, she won’t be able to save her home.
Everything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong
I have a handy tip if you’re struggling to include conflict across your story. Think of what your characters want to do. This doesn’t have to be the entire book, it can just be the content of the next chapter. Write down a list of each step they will take to achieve what they want if all goes perfectly. Now write down a counter point to each step on how it could go wrong. Now you have ideas for conflict. Here are examples of this in action:
Star Wars: Han Solo and Leia Organa go to visit Lando for help repairing their ship. They expect a peaceful visit. However, the Empire has already got there first and set a trap for them.
The Hobbit: Bilbo and the dwarves expect to find Erebor empty since no one as seen the dragon in years. They want to reclaim their home and give wealth to the nearby town. However, not only is the dragon there but, he wakes up from their intrusion and destroys the nearby town.
Thread of Souls: Unole enlists the help of allies to study and understand the strange feathers she picked up from the creature that captured her sister. Instead, they accidentally trigger the feathers’ magic and are pulled into another plane, forcing them to try to escape across the book.
Foreshadowing
The best conflicts have the foundation laid before they ever kick into gear. It gets the reader/movie watcher/gamer understanding that something is happening behind the scenes. The intrigue propels your conflict. And it makes everything come together more naturally, instead of feeling like it just happened for the sake of plot.
For this example, I’m going to use all the conflicts previously mentioned and talk about the foreshadowing before them.
Star Wars – Luke is Darth Vader’s son: There are many conversations in the first movie and most of the second movie about who Luke’s father is. When people talk to Luke directly about his father, they speak well of him. But in scenes when Luke is not present, conversations are more ominous. This foreshadowing is paid off in the reveal that our main villain is Luke’s father, and drives the conflict between them.
Lord of the Rings – Eowyn fights for Rohan: We see scenes of Eowyn showing off her sword skills and willingness to fight for a cause. This is encouraged by some, but discouraged by others. This leads to Eowyn breaking convention to join the army and fight for the freedom of Rohan.
Thread of Souls – Brother Zok investigates: We get some of Zok’s thoughts on how important his Order and mentor are to him prior to the investigation of the dead body. This adds extra weight to the reveal that it was from corruption inside the Order. We also have a trail of breadcrumbs left to determine who the culprit is before the villain is eventually found, adding suspicion of multiple characters.
Pride & Prejudice – Elopement: It is foreshadowed across the book that the little sister is wild and that the man she elopes with is deceitful and has wronged our hero characters. This makes the conflict all the more personal and impactful when the elopement is discovered.
Harry Potter – Voldemort’s Army: We get plenty of backstory and small interactions with Voldemort before the army ever launches itself officially. This makes the threat of it real before it ever needs to engage in true warfare.
Thread of Souls – Jade’s Vision: We have nearly two whole books of foreshadowing before the time to act on Jade’s vision comes. With each vision getting more and more detailed, readers can put the pieces of the puzzle together for when it is time for the vision to become a reality.
Star Wars – Lando’s Betrayal: Han Solo’s ship has multiple mechanical problems throughout the entire movie, making the need for real help much more urgent. Han Solo talks about Lando prior to the introduction, foreshadowing what viewers will experience when they meet this character. This pays off well when the betrayal is revealed and our heroes captured.
The Hobbit – The Dragon: Across the book, and most certainly the movies, you get the backstory of the dragon, feel how real the threat is, and get to know the people of the nearby town, Laketown. This makes their loss much deeper and the conflict much greater.
Thread of Souls – Unole’s feathers: Across the first two books, Unole has been using the feathers with Teshuva’s help to traverse the planes and hunt the creature that captured her sister. It leads to a “I should have seen this coming!” moment when the feathers’ magic acts without her control and takes her someplace she never meant to go. Losing Teshuva in the process makes the situation much more dire, enforcing that they truly are trapped until they can find help.
March has been a relatively quiet month on the Thread of Souls side. We’ve had a lot of personal tasks to attend to and have been tackling some challenges. But we’ve still got the train rolling along, so to speak.
Book V: The Deep Hollows
We are in the editing phase for the fifth book in the Thread of Souls series. Currently I’m reading it all aloud and adjusting it as needed. After that, I’ll pass it over to Dorian to edit. Pretty soon we’ll be able to share new cover art and the official summary! Though editing isn’t my favorite, it’s important for us to take our time in this step to ensure we have an excellent final product to share!
New Merch
We’re really proud of the two new shirts that have launched for our shop last month!
We have the Phantom Five concert-style shirt. It lists places the adventuring group the Phantom Five have been and is designed like a shirt you’d purchase at a rock concert.
We also have a tourist/resort-style Berenzia shirt. We were inspired by shirts you’d buy at souvenir shops on vacation and designed one for Berenzia.
This is the eighth and final post in a series on how to become a writer.
How much does it cost to become a writer? You might go into it with the idea that you’ll spend nothing but time, and plenty of royalties will flow your way. Don’t we all wish that was so?! But it does require some money on your part not only to get a good book published, but to maintain an online presence and protect your assets.
This post is mainly aimed an indie authors and writers, but anyone seeking to run their own business can benefit from this. We share our stories about what we actually pay for in a year to keep our business running.
The Cost of an LLC
We own Tal & Ru Travels LLC, which protects all our books, website, and associated content. This is important to do in case anyone tries to steal your creations, and if anyone attempts to accuse you of stealing from them. It’s an extra layer of protection.
The cost of an LLC varies by state. Typically, you can very easily apply online. Our initial application cost us $100. We pay a $25 fee to continue it every year.
The Cost of a Website & Social Presence
To run a website, you have to pay for the domain, and any upgraded features you use. We use a pro version of WordPress to get the content we need for our site.
We pay $19 every year for the domain name.
We also pay $180 each year for WordPress Pro.
Currently, we don’t use any plugins that cost money. But that is an extra cost depending on what you need.
We also don’t have social media accounts anymore. These accounts, including business ones, are free. However, if you choose to run ads you will pay for the cost of the ad. Each platform has their own breakdown on costs.
The Cost of Book Creation
We keep our book creation costs very low. The only thing we pay for is about $250 (including a tip) for our book cover designer through Fiverr. With four books out so far, that has added up to $1,000.
You may choose to put other money into the cost of your books, such as hiring editors, beta readers, formatters, etc. It all depends on how much work you want to learn and do yourself, and how much you see value in hiring an expert for.
Supplemental Costs
There are other costs associated with running an author business.
Canva: We use Canva for our graphic design elements on our website and other platforms. We pay for Canva Pro, which costs $15 a month.
Inkarnate: We pay for the commercial use of Inkarnate, since we put maps made on their platform in our book. It is only $25 a year.
Advertising: Sometimes we pay for advertising, often through Amazon ads. The goal, of course, is to make more revenue than you spend on the ads. Whenever we do use it, we spend about $20 a month, but you can do however much you want to.
Cost Summary
Here is yearly breakdown of our costs:
LLC renewal: $25
Domain name: $19
WordPress Pro: $180
Book Cover: $250
Canva: $180
Inkarnate: $25
Ads (not included since we don’t use them consistently)
Total Yearly Cost to run Thread of Souls: $679
We hope this is helpful in you planning your own indie author business!
This is the seventh in a series on how to become a writer.
Many writers like to use freelance websites, such as Fiverr and Upwork, to get repeat business. Just browsing these platforms you’ll see many writers advertising their services. Ghostwriters, resume writers, editors, copywriters, etc.
But are they useful? Do they bring in money? Are they worth the time? Having tried both, we give our thoughts here.
Is Fiverr Useful for Writers?
Yes and no.
Fiverr is a popular platform for both buyers and sellers. It works by you posting your profile and what services you offer, and customers coming to buy these services from you. It is high visibility, so you’ll have greater outreach to potential buyers. The ability to pay through Fiverr is also comforting to buyers as they know exactly where their money is going.
However, there are downsides. If you are new to Fiverr, it’s an uphill battle to get anyone to buy from you since you have no reviews. And Fiverr does not take the side of sellers when it comes to customer complaints. This can result in you losing money, having bad reviews, or even getting your account banned.
It’s worth noting this is a common problem with any platform similar to Fiverr, such as Etsy. They are notorious for siding with the complaining customer no matter what, and have poor support for sellers that need help. That is why many prefer to sell only through their own website that they have full control over, despite the limited reach.
Is Upwork Useful for Writers?
No.
I don’t recommend Upwork for a variety of reasons. It works by you placing “bids” on posted job opportunities. You respond what you will do for the buyer who posted the job, and how much you will charge. The buyer then chooses who they want to work with.
The problem with this is that it encourages underselling yourself and the true price your work. Of course, a buyer might not always go with the cheapest option, especially if the higher price tag comes with a seasoned Upwork professional with hundreds of great reviews.
Upwork also puts a limit on how many bids you can place, meaning you can’t have the kind of outreach you need for posted jobs.
Many people who post job opportunities on Upwork are seeking quick turnarounds. This is a much less professional process than Fiverr and can result in customers being angry that you aren’t at their beck and call 24/7.
Conclusion
Online platforms for freelancers are very popular, but they are not perfect. If you choose to use one to sell your services, I recommend also having backups on other platforms, and on your own website.
We give our advice on how to get started with TTRPG homebrewing!
Most of the people who play TTRPG’s are creatives. We love to build characters, to roleplay, and to imagine. So if you are a Game Master or even a player, you might find yourself interested in doing some homebrewing. After all, the rulebooks can feel limiting to those of us who think outside of the box.
Dorian and I got started in TTRPGs with many standard rulesets. Pathfinder, 5e, Forbidden Lands, Lord of the Rings, etc. As soon as we got the hang of how to play a TTRPG, we wanted to start homebrewing. That has evolved over the years into creating our own rule system, or own spells, monsters, classes, items, and world. But you don’t have to go all out like we did! Here are some of our tips to get started with TTRPG homebrewing.
Pull Inspiration From What You Like
We have found inspiration from many things we enjoy and converted them into the game. Here are some examples:
We converted Gandalf’s spells from Lord of the Rings into spells we can use.
We created a warlock subclass based on Talion and Celebrimbor from Shadow of Mordor.
We designed a region of our game inspired by the beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
We created dungeon traps inspired by the Indiana Jones movies.
All it takes is to think creatively about how such an item or place would exist in a TTRPG setting. From there, you can continue to test and tinker until you get it exactly how you want it.
What if I Don’t Know How to Balance Monster Stats?
We love to homebrew our own monsters and villains. But if you read a how-to guide from one of the core rulebooks, it will make it seem like an impossible task. But it doesn’t have to be! The key is to keep things flexible.
If this is your first time homebrewing a stat block, give yourself some flexibility once it comes into play. If your players are getting hurt much worse than you planned, reduce the hit points/life points or armor class of the opponent. Give them less advantages and less deadly attacks. You can do this in a subtle way so it won’t be noticeable. The opposite is also true if the monster is much weaker than you anticipated!
Here’s a tip to keep in mind for how powerful you want your monster/villain to be. Imagine they are the only monster fighting your party. Think about your party’s more powerful attacks and how much damage they can do in one round.
That dual-wielding ranger? She easily deals out 30 points.
That barbarian? 40 points.
The wizard will probably attempt to do a support spell to bolster the party.
The cleric could use his radiant strike spell for 25 points.
All together that’s 95 points if all of them hit. Will your creature get taken down in one round? If the answer is yes and you don’t want them to be, adjust accordingly.
How Do I Build a Believable Culture?
The best way to build a believable fantasy culture is to look at the world around you. Some curiosity about other places, religions, rituals, and holidays are great starting points. You can even be inspired by just the architecture of other places. Example:
The colorful Moroccan architecture could inspire a culture that is lively and full of festivities.
Mexico’s Day of the Dead practices could inspire a culture that focuses on honoring their ancestors and family ties.
The floating houseboats in Louisiana could inspire a culture that lives on the water and respects nature.
Here’s something not to do.
While you might be inspired by war, conflict, and political struggles in our real world, be careful what you carry into the game. Not everyone is comfortable indulging in a fantasy world that also has them deal with their real-life issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia. It is supposed to be escapism, after all. If you find yourself using logic such as, “Well, women are abused a lot because they’re weaker than the men here,” then stop yourself. No one likes those ideas in real life, and no one wants to play them, either. The only exception is if a player asks to explore these themes and everyone at the table agrees.
Players should feel empowered and confident at the table, not bullied and belittled.
General Tips for TTRPG Homebrewing
Don’t try to do it all at once! Start with just an item or just a spell. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easier to do a lot more.
Watch movies, read books, play games, and travel to get more inspiration!
Look at photos online of places around the world.
Use tools like Inkarnate to help with map-building.
Rules are made to be broken. Think outside of the ruleset when creating!
If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.
This is an autobiographical post. The names of people and places may be changed.
We decided to write autobiographical posts about the colorful life we have lived. There will be tales of sleeping in a campervan on the beach, of defending a bird’s nest from a snake, and of running away from wolves while sick with bronchitis. There will be tales of diagnosis with PTSD and ADHD and how it changed our lives, of meeting biological family, and of job loss. It’s a tale of overcoming challenges, of finding out who we are, of love, hope, cats, and of a marriage that’s gotten stronger through it all.
Autobiography Post 23
A New Best Man
It was a sad set of circumstances that ended us up in Hawaii June of 2014. Dorian’s family was close with another family throughout his life. So much so that the other family’s son, Cameron, was like a brother to him. And when he was killed in December of 2013, it left a gaping wound in their lives.
Especially the life of Cameron’s older brother, who was in the Navy and stationed in Oahu. He had met a local woman and had a wedding planned. Cameron was supposed to be the best man. In honor of their friendship and family ties, the groom asked Dorian to represent Cameron’s memory and be the best man.
Dorian and I were only dating at the time, but we both planned to go. Not only to visit Hawaii, but also to show our love and support for the family.
Third Parties
We had a rough idea of where we would stay and what we would do while we were in Hawaii. But after a few months of planning Dorian’s parents, sister, and her then-boyfriend (now husband) decided they wanted to come, as well. Our trip got a bit hijacked. Dorian’s mother took charge planning everything. It was a bit frustrating, but we did have a lovely time with the whole family (even his usually bad-tempered sister) and his parents were kind enough to pay for the rental house we all stayed at.
My First Flight
This was my first time to ever be on an airplane. I get motion sick and I have ears really sensitive to air pressure changes, so I was feeling incredibly nervous. I remember getting on the connecting flight from Tulsa to Denver. The plane was tiny and I felt like I would throw up from nerves. Dorian fell asleep next to me.
It was scary at first, and the takeoff and landing hurt my ears. But overall it was an easy experience. We flew two hours to Denver, and then took a nine-hour flight to Oahu. I still remember how cool it was to see the Rocky Mountains under us (not knowing we’d end living next to them in six years), and seeing the California coast pass by under us.
Let’s put this trip into some perspective. Dorian’s family traveled a lot, though mostly to the same destinations. Colorado to go skiing. The Gulf Coast and the Florida Keys. And places like Arkansas for camping activities.
My adoptive family was travel-adverse. They hated anything that wasn’t Owasso, Oklahoma. I remember one trip to Sea World in Texas when I was little, and another accompanying my adoptive father on a work trip to Phoenix. But otherwise, the travel bug was all me, stemming from my biological family’s wanderlust.
Traveling to Hawaii was a huge deal! At the time, this was the biggest adventure of my life.
Traveling the Island
We were in Hawaii for a week. We stayed at this amazing rental house right on the beach. The owners had built that house back when no one lived there. But now it was worth a lot, so they rented it out and had their own luxurious house built right next to it. We got use of their private back porch and yard.
We visited so many places!
Pearl Harbor touring the USS Missouri Battleship
Beaches and restaurants at the North Shore
Botanical gardens to which I don’t know the name
A hiking trail by a lighthouse
The hiking trail in Diamond Head
Shopping in Honolulu
Paddleboarding and canoeing
We ate at this same restaurant for breakfast many times. Their pancakes were amazing. It was my first experience with macadamia nuts in pancakes. A love that has continued to this day.
The Diamond Head Hike
Diamond Head is a crater from a volcano. It’s really striking and beautiful. There is a park and hiking trail within. It was an arduous climb, though we were young then with plenty of energy!
One particular memory stands out. After the hike, Dorian and I were sitting in the park eating shaved ice. We saw an emergency medical helicopter fly overhead and up to the summit. We gave concerned remarks, when a local man turned to us.
“Yeah, people collapse up there a lot,” he said. “They’re not ready for all the stairs.”
We got to talking with him, and learned some fascinating things!
“It wasn’t always this busy, it wasn’t always a tourist spot,” he said. “I remember coming here as a kid and it wouldn’t be busy at all. Where are you two from?”
“We’re from Oklahoma, we’re here for a wedding.”
“I’ve been to Oklahoma! I actually moved over to the mainland and worked in a few states for some years.”
We laughed. “It’s much nicer here.”
He chuckled in response. “Yes. It would be the middle of summer in Oklahoma and I’d be working outdoors thinking to myself ‘why am I here? I could be on the beach!'”
Indeed. Why are we all anywhere when we could be on the beach? The beach is my happy place. Little wonder in 2023 we’d move to one.
The Wedding
The actual ceremony took place in a little chapel. It wasn’t big enough for everyone, so people were standing around. It was quite a charming and casual affair. However, the little chapel had no AC and it was June.
The poor bride kept fanning herself, saying, “It’s so hot! Can we hurry?”
The party afterward did have AC. We moved to a large event facility and had a great party! Hawaiin food, dancing, chatting, it was a great time! It is definitely one of my favorite weddings I’ve ever been a guest at.
Lost With No Bandaid
I’ve got one final story to wrap up our Hawaii vacation. A memory we look back on the most and laugh about. The entire family was signed up for surfing lessons. I am not a strong swimmer, but thought I’d be okay. However, after experiencing the ocean for the first time, I had doubts.
Worry gnawed at me the two-hour drive we took up to the North Shore. We parked by this fancy-looking building and Dorian’s parents went inside for us to check-in.
They came back out not looking happy.
“This is the wrong place,” his mother sighed. “This isn’t where we are supposed to have surfing lessons.”
His father looked sheepish. “I got the names confused.”
The depth of the mishap was much greater than it sounded. We were on the completely wrong side of the island. We had no chance at having our lessons.
I had another problem that needed my attention. I was wearing wet shoes and they’d rubbed the back of one heel raw. It was about to bleed, and I had no bandaid. When I asked if Dorian’s mother had one, she suggested we go into a nearby hotel and ask.
The hotel was called Turtle Bay Resort. Dorian and I walked inside. I went barefoot to prevent more pain. The lobby was absolutely gorgeous! It was all open-walled with views to the beach. We went up to one attendant.
“Hello,” I greeted politely and shyly. I worried about being turned away since we weren’t guests. “I need a waterproof bandaid. Is there one here?”
He bowed courteously. “Of course, ma’am! Please go to the shop over there, they will have what you need. Can I help you with anything else?”
Dorian and I were taken aback. He was so polite! We thanked him and got the bandaid. All the staff was so incredibly helpful and kind. I assume they were under the impression that we were guests, and that the guests that usually stay here are rich.
We’ve always said since then that one day we’d return to Turtle Bay and stay there.
Afterward
I remember returning from the trip and telling my adoptive family all about it, showing them photos.
My adoptive mother said, “I’m really glad you got to do something interesting like that one time in your life.”
There’s something about wizards that make Dorian and I seek out elegant music. It could be because our wizards all come from the Citadel, which is a very classic and refined place. Or it could also be Jasita Yolarin’s composed personality. Whatever the reason, these are our favorite tunes to inspire wizard storytelling!
Beethoven’s Silence by Ernesto Cortazar
This is one of the recent additions to a Jasita-themed playlist. It’s just so beautiful and pleasing. I think the historian in Jasita would appreciate an old song still being around and listened to today.
The French Library by Franz Gordon
Wizards like to read! They are intelligent people, and have dedicated their lives to learning about magic. This would probably be playing in the background of a magic library.
Thoughtful by Peter B. Helland
I do like longer tracks to listen to while I create. At nearly 12 minutes long, this is definitely one of my favorites to keep on my playlists. It’s very soothing, and has this magical quality that makes it so special.
This is the sixth in a series on how to become a writer.
If you are going to apply to writing jobs, you need a good writing resume. As someone who has been a professional resume writer for 8 years and has a background in the hiring business, I am here to give you advice! Some resume advice you don’t have to pay $200 for.
Formatting Your Resume
Your resume not only needs to pass a digital scan to be seen by an employer (an ATS), but it also needs to look good to be read by a human. It needs to be reader-friendly. Your information needs to be easy to see. Here’s a good guideline to follow:
Keep your front at 10-11
No heavy graphics, photos, or charts
Color is your friend!
Keep it at 1-2 pages for ease of reading
Evenly space out each section to make it easy to find information
Here is a sample resume I built for this.
Your “About” Section
This is the top section of your resume. You will have a header with your resume title. This typically is the job you have right now, but you can also make it vague to target the job you want. For example, if our sample resume didn’t want to be a Content Writer anymore, they could just put “Professional Writer”.
Your opening paragraph follows. This is an overview of your skillset and career history. Here are top tips to keep in mind:
Never use personal pronouns
Keep it at 3-6 lines
Summarize your skillset without going into great detail
Your “Areas of Expertise” Section
This section includes keywords about your job. This is an extremely useful section because it will help your resume pass a digital scan. You can format it anyway you want, but I like the clean look of these bullet points.
If you’re at a loss of what skills to put down, it helps to look at job postings. What skills are they asking for? Do you have those? Here are some tips for this section:
More is not better. Keep it straight to the point.
1-3 words is best for each bullet so long as it doesn’t feel wordy and crowded
Make sure what you put down can be backed up by your career history section
How to Write a Good Career History
Writing a good job history is an art form. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the details of what you did that you write a job history that is too much for anyone to read. I like to split up each job history into a paragraph and a bullet point list. The paragraph is for daily duties. The bullet points are to highlight your achievements. If you go with only a paragraph, don’t make it too long. And if you go with only bullet points, don’t go over 7. Remember a person is supposed to be able to scan this quickly!
Keep your paragraph between 3-6 lines.
No more than 7 bullet points, and 3-5 is ideal.
Describe what you did at your job and how it impacted the business
Lost on what to include? Think about projects you were a part of, committees or task forces you helped with, new ideas you helped bring to life, and big business moments you were a part of.
Misc Content
You have the option to add a few more sections on your resume depending on your background and what you want to talk about. Here are best practices for that.
Education: List your degrees, certifications, or trainings. But don’t list your high school.
Activities & Interests: This humanizes you and adds some personality. But don’t include anything that could offend your potential boss. Religious activities, political activism, or activities like hunting, recreational marijuana, or running a prank video YouTube channel might not go over well. Some things you don’t mix your business life with.
Technologies: It never hurts to list the software you use, especially if knowledge of certain software is essential to your industry.
Volunteering: This is also a nice section to have, but keep it simple. It shouldn’t overshadow your work experience. Just listing the organization and what you did is enough. (Example: Fundraiser for a local food bank).
Affiliations: If you are a member of any professional organizations, list them in their own section.
