I’ve been thinking a lot recently about differentiation—how we can make our stories stand out from all the others. Customers are being more careful with their money, which means they’re very likely buying fewer books. With the estimated 1,000,000+ books being published each year, ours need something … [Read more...] about Originalizing Your Story Idea
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Build Suspense With Secrets
Have you wondered what makes a book unputdownable? What techniques or tricks an author employs to make sure you read that next word, sentence, paragraph, page? One of the most effective ways to do this is by building suspense. All genres have suspense...or at least should. Suspense is … [Read more...] about Build Suspense With Secrets
Fear Thesaurus Entry: Having No Purpose
Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they're a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character's behaviors, habits, beliefs, and … [Read more...] about Fear Thesaurus Entry: Having No Purpose
Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly critique contest! This month, we have a HUGE prize! 3 winners will receive feedback on 20 pages from a professional editor. So exciting! This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
5 Ways to Approach Your Novel Like a Trial Lawyer
So much about good storytelling mirrors the way a lawyer might lay out the case for their client. Our job as writers is to select events and characters that reveal the protagonist we hope the reader will see. In effect, we are manipulating scenes so that they present our protagonist’s inner … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Approach Your Novel Like a Trial Lawyer
Fear Thesaurus Entry: Criticism
Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they're a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character's behaviors, habits, beliefs, and … [Read more...] about Fear Thesaurus Entry: Criticism
Writing Insecure Characters
Angela Ackerman and I got our start telling anyone who was interested (and some who weren't) what we'd learned about the importance of showing a character's feelings. So I'll start with a quote from The Emotion Thesaurus about why it's so important for every author to get this right: All … [Read more...] about Writing Insecure Characters
An Unbreakable Promise to Readers
A novel’s opening chapter makes a promise, a secret vow that says, “This is what you can expect from me.” The chapters that follow better fulfill that promise, or the author will suffer the consequences with low-ratings, bad reviews, or their name on the Don’t Not Read list. Yes, the … [Read more...] about An Unbreakable Promise to Readers
Fear Thesaurus: Being a Burden to Others
Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they're a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character's behaviors, habits, beliefs, and … [Read more...] about Fear Thesaurus: Being a Burden to Others
5 Reasons Why It’s Still a Good Idea for Writers to Have a Blog
It’s 2023. Should writers have a blog? It's been the subject of debate for several years now. There was a time when, if you intended to publish and sell books, you were expected to write a blog too. But it’s not so clear-cut today. There are a lot of ways to communicate with your potential … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons Why It’s Still a Good Idea for Writers to Have a Blog
Force Your Character to Make Hard Choices
One of the best things about conflict is that it pushes your characters to act. In every scene, your characters are making choices—big ones and small ones, and thereby steering their fate. Some decisions will be obvious and require little to no thought, but others will be muddier, with no clear … [Read more...] about Force Your Character to Make Hard Choices
Happy Holidays & Our Favorite Recipes
Angela, Becca and I hope you’re having an amazing holiday season full of family, friends, good food and special memories. We are so grateful for your visits, kind words of support, and trust in us. We love serving the writing community through this blog, One Stop for Writers, books, and … [Read more...] about Happy Holidays & Our Favorite Recipes