Category Archives: Reader Interest

Goal-Setting for Writers (During a Pandemic)

Posted on April 16, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

None of us enjoys uncertainty. And unfortunately, that’s what we have right now. A lot is happening outside the doors to our homes. Stress and worry have become part of our everyday. Life’s not easy at the moment and that … Continue reading →

Posted in Agents, Buying Books, Focus, Goal and Milestones, Goal Setting, Marketing, Motivational, Platform, Promotion, Publishing and Self Publishing, Reader Interest, Social Networking, The Business of Writing, Time Management, Uncategorized, Writer's Attitude, Writing Time | 12 Comments

5 Reasons to Consider Translating Your Work

Posted on March 25, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Happy to welcome Savannah Cardova from Reedsy who has some good information to share on book translations. As many of you know, we have a foreign rights agent and have sold rights to publishers in different countries. While some books … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Rights, Guest Post, Marketing, Publishing and Self Publishing, Reader Interest, Sales Numbers & Helpful Data, The Business of Writing, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Writing Retreats: How to Choose the Best One for You (+Giveaway!)

Posted on February 15, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Hi everyone. Help me welcome author Sean Hillen who is going to help us better understand what makes a writing retreat worth the investment. And SPOILER ALERT, you definitely want to get in on the giveaway mentioned at the end … Continue reading →

Posted in Contests, Focus, Goal Setting, Guest Post, Motivational, Reader Interest, Time Management, Uncategorized, Writer's Attitude, Writing Time | 2 Comments

3 Steps To Writing Diverse Characters

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Writing Coach

It’s official … Audiences have voted with their wallets and proved they WANT more diverse characters as standard. Novels lead the way, with breakout successes like Gone Girl and The Hate You Give making huge cultural impacts. Now the screenwriting … Continue reading →

Posted in Backstory, Buying Books, Character Arc, Characters, Cliches, Diversity, Emotion, Reader Feedback, Reader Interest, Reading, Resident Writing Coach, Stereotypes, Story Structure, Tools and Resources, Uncategorized, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 9 Comments

Surprising Your Readers in Every Scene

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Writing Coach

Often we think of surprising audiences with large twists and turns, with thrilling midpoints or shocking losses, but bringing surprise into smaller story pieces, like interactions and beats, can sometimes be equally satisfying in their own way. They also hook … Continue reading →

Posted in Action Scenes, Characters, Dialogue, Emotion, Motivation, Pacing, Reader Interest, Reading, Resident Writing Coach, Show Don't Tell, Subtext, Uncategorized, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 11 Comments

Writing Feedback: Should We Seek It Out?

Posted on September 26, 2019 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

As most of you know, Becca and I have been writing and publishing for some time now. Many thing have changed in the industry, including how a book reaches the shelf. Thankfully the slush pile of doom is no longer … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Character Arc, Characters, Critiquing & Critiques, Motivation, One Stop For Writers, Publishing and Self Publishing, Reader Feedback, Reader Interest, Reading, Revision and Editing, Show Don't Tell, Story Structure, Tools and Resources, Uncategorized, Writing Craft, Writing Groups | 4 Comments

Taking a Character from Good to GREAT

Posted on September 12, 2019 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

FACT: Characters are the heart of a story. The stronger one is, the more powerful your novel will be. In today’s competitive fiction market, there’s no room for okay-ish characters. This is why most writing courses, books, workshops, retreats, etc. … Continue reading →

Posted in About Us, Backstory, Character Arc, Character Flaws, Character Traits, Character Wound, Characters, Description, Emotion, Fear, Motivation, One Stop For Writers, Reader Interest, Revision and Editing, Show Don't Tell, Stereotypes, Uncategorized, Villains, Writing Craft, Writing Resources | 1 Comment

4 Keys to a Powerful Denouement

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Writing Coach

Often as writers, we put a lot of our focus on the starting, climax, and middle of a story, and the denouement or falling action may be somewhat of an afterthought. If you grew up like me, you were kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Backstory, Character Arc, Characters, Endings, Motivation, Plotting, Reader Interest, Reading, Resident Writing Coach, Uncategorized, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 13 Comments

Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Novelty

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Writing Coach

In the first post of my four-part series, I introduced ANTS, my framework for helping storytellers make strategic choices that increase reader engagement. ANTS stands for the effects a storyteller should seek to cultivate in their story: attachment, novelty, tension, and satisfaction. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cliches, Reader Interest, Resident Writing Coach, Show Don't Tell, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 8 Comments

Look Forward, Not Backward, to Pull the Reader In

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Writing Coach

A lot of writers have the tendency to look “backward” when writing. They might use a lot of flashbacks, they might have a character think “back” on things, or they may simply refer to events that happened in the past. … Continue reading →

Posted in Empathy, Experiments, Flashbacks, Pacing, Reader Interest, Reading, Resident Writing Coach, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 22 Comments