Blog
Noodling 101: How to Generate Good Ideas… Fast!
Discover tips and techniques to unleash your creativity and generate compelling ideas for your next writing project. Overcome writer’s block and get writing!
Story Questions: The Secret to Narrative Thrust
Discover the key to captivating storytelling in my latest craft exploration. Delve into the world of narrative thrust and learn how to keep your readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Explore the three types of story questions and master the art of weaving them seamlessly into your prose. Join me on a journey to revitalize your writing and keep your audience eagerly turning pages. Don’t miss out on this essential guide to elevating your narrative game. Unlock the power of story questions today!
The Writer’s Guide to the Holidays
Readers love the holidays, and they love books set during the holidays. That’s why these special occasions play a significant role in the writing, promoting, and marketing of books. Writers often forget that setting a book during a particular holiday season can be a...
Ten Great Gifts for Writers
Discover the perfect gifts for writers in this inspiring list! From Irish Whiskey to Waterman Pens, explore unique ideas to fuel creativity and celebrate the writer’s journey.
How To Read Like a Writer
Learning to read like a writer can deepen our understanding of the writing process and help us improve our own work. Agent, editor, and USA TODAY bestselling author Paula Munier shows you how.
KEEP ON WRITING: A Round-Up of Inspiring Quotes to Get You to The End
Discover how persistence shapes writing success with wisdom from Butler, Asimov, and more.
Writing In Scenes: The Secret to Show Don’t Tell
scene: a sequence of continuous action in a play, movie, opera, or book. One of the biggest mistakes I see in beginning writers’ work is the failure to dramatize. The dreaded telling, rather than showing. Writing in scenes helps you make sure that something is...
BACK TO SCHOOL FOR WRITERS: A roundup of advice on learning to write and teaching writing, from Ann Patchett to Ursula K. Le Guin
Can you really teach someone to write? That’s the question that has been debated since the first aspiring writer asked a successful author to show them how to tell a good story. Indeed, teaching and writing often go hand in hand. Many famous authors have supported...
5 Ways Out of the Middle Malaise
It happens to me with every novel. Usually somewhere in the middle, in that long swamp of scenes known as Act Two. Not writer’s block exactly, more like writer’s avoidance. A kind of insidious procrastination that erodes my sacred writing time. This week alone I found...
The Power of Place: A Round-Up of Advice on Setting, From Annie Proulx to Stephen King
Recently I had the honor and privilege of moderating one of the Zoom rooms at an event at The Back Room. One of the stellar authors making a guest appearance that night was Jordan Harper, who won the Edgar for Best First Novel for She Rides Shotgun and has now written...
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