On Writing

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...

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...

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...

Selling stories is not much different than selling anything else. As a writer turned acquisitions editor and now literary agent, I learned that the hard way. It’s not enough to write a great story; to sell that story, you have to be able to milk its selling points and...

Setting and meeting your goals for your life as a career author doesn’t have to be a SMART formula that smacks of the Human Resources Department. If SMART works for you, then great. But if such a linear, corporate approach leaves you cold (as it does me), here are some looser, livelier ways to map out a career strategy for you as a writer.

When it comes to plotting, the conventional wisdom is to play the “What If?” game. When your “What If?” well has run dry, try one of these plot hacks:

New year, new ideas! We’re all planning our writing for 2023 now, but we need to make sure that we prime the pump throughout the year. Here are seven ways to jumpstart your imagination that you can write right into your calendar:

As an agent, author, and former acquisitions editor, I’m always stunned when aspiring writers tell me that they don’t have time to read (don’t ever say that, it’s a red flag, seriously). Writers read, and good writers read a lot. (That’s why agents and editors will often ask you what you’re reading and/or start a conversation about books, to see if you walk the talk.) If you need any more motivation, here’s a round-up of famous authors on the importance of reading for writers.

We are a people in search of a hero, always. And readers are a people in search of a heroine, always. One of the biggest problems I see in manuscripts—confirmed by editors when they pass on projects—is the protagonist. Your protagonist should be compelling and...