Category Archives: Guest Post
The Six Stages of Your Hero’s Character Arc
It’s always special when a past Resident Writing Coach returns to the blog, so help me welcome C.S. Lakin who is opening up discussion on a powerful topic: Character Arc. I am a big fan of Michael Hauge’s 6-Stage Plot … Continue reading
Tools for the Visual-Spatial Writer (and the Rest of Us)
One of the most important things I learned as a teacher was that children learn differently, and the best approach for reaching them all included a variety of methods. I find the same to be true in writing. I may … Continue reading
Spy Novels: How to Nail The Character of an Espionage Hero
Great treat for you today–Piper Bayard (of Bayard & Holmes) is digging into what an espionage character should look like. And she should know, because her co-author, Jay Holmes…well, read on to find out! James Bond, Jason Bourne, Sydney Bristow, … Continue reading
15 (Mostly) Free Tools to DIY Your Self-Published Book
Hi everyone! So happy to welcome writing coach Mandy Wallace to the blog, who has rustled up some great links for anyone looking to Self-Publish. As most writers know, a good set of tools is worth its weight in gold…especially … Continue reading
Essential Marketing Tactics For Children’s Authors
When we aren’t working on thesaurus books, Becca and I write for children and young adults. This means we know that one of the biggest challenges for Kid-lit & YA authors in is marketing. In most cases, the book buyers … Continue reading
Dive Deep with Emotion
Hi all! One of my favorite people is here today: Christina Delay of Cruising Writers. She’s got a great post on how to write deep emotion, so please read on! Don’t you just love feedback from beta-readers or your critique … Continue reading
Outlining Your Future Book in 30 Minutes
To plot or to pants? That is the question—one with as many different answers as there are writers. As an avid plotter, the idea of pantsing gives me the heebie-jeebies, but I understand that my over-the-top planning would probably make … Continue reading
How to Banish Interruptions from Your Writing Time
Happy to welcome Colleen Story back to WHW. She’s got some great advice on how to protect our time from interruptions so they don’t derail our writing sessions. Read on! Some writers have complained to me recently: “I want to … Continue reading
Stripping Down My Prose: Risking the Removal of Adjectives
Happy to welcome Margaret McNellis to the blog today. She’s tried an interesting experiment with her writing to create stronger, tighter prose, so please read on! When I was a Masters of Arts student studying English and Creative Writing, one of … Continue reading
The Different Kinds of Editing: A Breakdown (with Examples)
All writers need an editor. Stephen King needs one. JK Rowling needs one. You and me? We DEFINITELY need one. But this is where it gets confusing…because there are many types of editors. How do we know what we need? … Continue reading