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3 Medical Mistakes to Avoid in Your Story

By Natalie Dale, MD As a former physician, I get a lot of questions from other writers about medical aspects of their stories. And while every story is unique, there are a few mistakes writers seem to make over and over. Below are three of the most common mistakes, along with suggestions on how … [Read more...] about 3 Medical Mistakes to Avoid in Your Story

The Dreaded Synopsis

By Michelle Barker Many authors would rather write a whole new novel than cram the one they’ve already written into a five-hundred-word summary. If I wanted to write a short story, I would have written one. Right? The reason we hate writing synopses is because they’re hard. The reason they’re … [Read more...] about The Dreaded Synopsis

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Leaving No Legacy

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: Leaving No Legacy

Phenomenal First Pages Contest

Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly first-page critique contest 🙂 This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one goes live, consider subscribing to the blog (in the sidebar). If you’re working on a first page (in … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest

Identify Your Character’s Emotional Triggers

By Lisa Hall Wilson Every one has emotional triggers – are you using this to increase the emotional tension in your story? Why not!? What Does Your Character Think is Their Strength? What does your character pride themselves on having, being, doing, possessing, needing, controlling, … [Read more...] about Identify Your Character’s Emotional Triggers

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Isolation

Back Cover Copy Formula

By Sue Coletta Let’s be honest. Writing a book description isn’t fun. It’s grueling, mind-numbing work that I detest with every inch of my being. Mastering the art of back cover copywriting is an important skill. Therefore, I’m always on the lookout for tips. A while back, I sat through yet … [Read more...] about Back Cover Copy Formula

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Love

Traditional vs. Self-Publishing—Which One is Best for You?

By Colleen M. Story Have you wondered whether traditional or self-publishing is best for you? My latest novel, The Beached Ones, releases this summer with CamCat Books. This marks my third traditionally published novel. I’ve also self-published three nonfiction books for writers. That … [Read more...] about Traditional vs. Self-Publishing—Which One is Best for You?

Need Conflict? Just Let Your Characters Talk

Story conflict has many purposes. It provides opportunities for failure and growth, elevates what’s at stake, and escalates emotion for the character and readers. We also know that our stories will need many instances of conflict, both at the story (macro) and scene (micro) level. But how do we know … [Read more...] about Need Conflict? Just Let Your Characters Talk

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Mediocrity

Avoiding Stereotypes in Fiction: People of Color

Readers have spoken: they want more diversity in fiction. And writers are stepping up, but it can be hard to write about someone who’s different than you. Careful research is the key to avoiding misrepresentation, which causes harm to the very identities being portrayed and creates fallout for … [Read more...] about Avoiding Stereotypes in Fiction: People of Color