Writers Helping Writers^®

Posts by Guest Contributor

Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting

January 25, 2022

Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting

January 25, 2022

By Liz Keller Whitehurst For centuries, people have been spellbound by magic and the supernatural. Ghosts, curses, talking creatures, portals to alternate dimensions…there’s just too much creative fodder for authors…

“Perfect to Me”: How Self-Editing Can Take Your Novel to the Next Stage

January 20, 2022

“Perfect to Me”: How Self-Editing Can Take Your Novel to the Next Stage

January 20, 2022

By Michelle Barker Part of the trick of hiring an editor is knowing when your manuscript is ready to hand over to them. There’s no point submitting a draft that…

How Memoir and Autobiography Differ

January 13, 2022

How Memoir and Autobiography Differ

January 13, 2022

By Liz Alterman A few years ago, I told a friend that I’d nearly finished writing a memoir. She knew that it focused on the period my husband and I—both…

How to Nail the Purpose of Your Novel’s Scenes

August 24, 2021

How to Nail the Purpose of Your Novel’s Scenes

August 24, 2021

By Resident Writing Coach Alumni, C. S. Lakin Ever read a scene in a novel, get to the end, and scratch your head? Have you ever asked, “What the heck…

3 Mistakes To Avoid with Your Side Characters

August 5, 2021

3 Mistakes To Avoid with Your Side Characters

August 5, 2021

Help me welcome Resident Writing Coach Alumni Sacha Black, who has just an excellent post on how to avoid creating story problems caused by mismanaged side characters. Here’s a bit…

Genre Switching: Launching a Successful Career in a New Genre

July 29, 2021

Genre Switching: Launching a Successful Career in a New Genre

July 29, 2021

Admit it, you’ve thought about cheating. After all, there’s so many to choose from, why tie yourself down to one genre? (Hey, what did you THINK I was talking about?)…

Building Your Writing Support Triangle, Part 3: Accountability

June 17, 2021

Building Your Writing Support Triangle, Part 3: Accountability

June 17, 2021

We’ve loved having Jessica Conoley here the past three weeks to discuss the three vital pieces of support that every author needs. Today, she’s closing out this series by discussing…

Building Your Writing Support Triangle, Part 2: Mentorship

June 10, 2021

Building Your Writing Support Triangle, Part 2: Mentorship

June 10, 2021

Jessica Conoley shared last week about why it’s so important for writers to have a critique group or partner. She’s back today in this three-part series to talk about the…

Writing Process vs. Product: Do You Focus on the Doing or the Having?

March 11, 2021

Writing Process vs. Product: Do You Focus on the Doing or the Having?

March 11, 2021

Which is more important—the process of writing or the product that results? It’s not something we think much about, but as creatives, one of these two things is typically motivating…