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Story vs. Plot vs. Theme: Know Your 5Ws and H

June 13, 2023

Story vs. Plot vs. Theme: Know Your 5Ws and H

June 13, 2023

Journalism writing often uses the 5W1H structure. The first few paragraphs of a news article should answer 6 basic questions (which start with 5 Ws and an H): Who, What,…

The Link Between Character Thought and Credibility

June 6, 2023

The Link Between Character Thought and Credibility

June 6, 2023

Readers come into a story eager to greet a new world, willing to temporarily suspend their belief in the way the world works to explore your vision of the alternatives.…

How a Show-Don’t-Tell Mindset Helps You Write Stronger Stories

May 25, 2023

How a Show-Don’t-Tell Mindset Helps You Write Stronger Stories

May 25, 2023

Show-Don’t-Tell is something we hear a lot about as writers, and yet many struggle to apply it. Why? Because while most understand the basics of show-don’t-tell, not every writer can…

Character Voice Versus Author Voice

May 16, 2023

Character Voice Versus Author Voice

May 16, 2023

We’ve all heard about the importance of finding your voice as a writer. Maybe you’ve had a critique from an editor who felt the narrative voice wasn’t sharp enough. Or…

How Beta Readers Might Save Your Book from Disaster

May 9, 2023

How Beta Readers Might Save Your Book from Disaster

May 9, 2023

When I wrote book 2 in my The Fountain Series, The West Woods, I posted on social media to get Beta Readers, and had 61 people offer. *Facepalm*. I didn’t…

Selling a Million Books: What Worked for Us (and Can Work for You, Too)

April 27, 2023

Selling a Million Books: What Worked for Us (and Can Work for You, Too)

April 27, 2023

As you may know, Angela and I have recently reached the unbelievable milestone of having sold a million books. Meet the kids I say “unbelievable” because this was never in…

We’ve Reached the One Million Books Milestone!

April 25, 2023

We’ve Reached the One Million Books Milestone!

April 25, 2023

Once upon a time… Two novice writers met in an online critique group called the Critique Circle and became fast friends. Angela (a Canadian) wrote about zombies and pirates and…

5 Ways to Crash Your Character’s Pity Party

April 18, 2023

5 Ways to Crash Your Character’s Pity Party

April 18, 2023

We generally craft characters with the intention of making them someone the reader cares about. One of the primary ways to achieve that is to tap into reader empathy, and…

What Are Your Protagonist’s Flaws?

April 13, 2023

What Are Your Protagonist’s Flaws?

April 13, 2023

The most relatable characters are ones who mirror real people, meaning they are complex individuals with a blend of strengths, failings, attributes, and flaws. Of these four, flaws are often…

Why Readers Love Anti-Heroes

April 11, 2023

Why Readers Love Anti-Heroes

April 11, 2023

To understand why readers love anti-heroes, we first need to define what they are. An anti-hero is a flawed, complicated character who thrives in shades of gray. They play the…