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 not to plumb those depths. Over time, mainstream fantasy has given way to many … [Read more...] about Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting
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Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Fling
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it's important to craft them carefully. But characters don't usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they'll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Fling
“Perfect to Me”: How Self-Editing Can Take Your Novel to the Next Stage
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 you already know has POV issues or structural problems. The ideal situation I like to be in when I deliver my manuscript to an editor is … [Read more...] about “Perfect to Me”: How Self-Editing Can Take Your Novel to the Next Stage
Using Physical Pain to Show a Character’s Past Trauma
By Lisa Hall Wilson There doesn’t seem to be much info out there to tell writers how to realistically capture emotions and trauma while still leaving room for plot, characterization, and genre tropes. The most common problem I see is that the character THINKS about their past trauma—they have … [Read more...] about Using Physical Pain to Show a Character’s Past Trauma
Relationship Thesaurus: Frenemies
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus: Frenemies
How Memoir and Autobiography Differ
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 in our mid-to-late forties—were laid off simultaneously and struggling to get our careers and marriage back on track. Yet that didn't stop her … [Read more...] about How Memoir and Autobiography Differ
Writers, Grab a Knife: How To Kill Your Darlings
By Sue Coletta Good writing involves rewriting. An essential part of rewriting is combing through the first draft and carving out material that isn’t essential. When we edit out nonessentials, we are killing our darlings. What is a Darling? Darlings are words, phrases, sentences, … [Read more...] about Writers, Grab a Knife: How To Kill Your Darlings
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Headmaster and Student
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Headmaster and Student
4 Strategies to Help Writers Focus in a World of Distractions
By Colleen M. Story If you want to reach your writing goals this year, you’ve got to get rid of one thing: distractions. They surround you at every turn, vying for your attention, and every time they succeed, they pull you away from what really matters—your writing. This year, you … [Read more...] about 4 Strategies to Help Writers Focus in a World of Distractions
A New Face at Writers Helping Writers
As you guys can probably guess, Becca and I have a lot on the go as we share businesses, books, software, and more. We teach, run this blog, manage multiple platforms, and do our own marketing. A question we are often asked is, "How do you do it?" And the answer is usually... "Oh, you … [Read more...] about A New Face at Writers Helping Writers
Time to Make Merry
Hi everyone! It's that time of year when Becca and I trade our keyboards in for gingerbread and hot chocolate (mine spiked with alcohol, I assure you). We just wanted to end the month by saying how proud we are to be members of the writing community. These last two years have been challenging, … [Read more...] about Time to Make Merry
How to Write a Compelling Antihero
By Lucy V Hay What is an Antihero? Heroes embody courage, perseverance and skill. They can easily turn into villains when they use their talents for personal gain. This means antiheroes are like their name suggests ... a character that DOESN'T have or has twisted the classic hero … [Read more...] about How to Write a Compelling Antihero