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Writing Craft

Your Novel: Concept to Query in 10 Months

February 17, 2022

Your Novel: Concept to Query in 10 Months

February 17, 2022

An Action Plan for Actual Humans By Fred Koehler Like almost every other writer I know, I’m not a full time novelist. Publishing is, at the best of times, really…

The Measure of a Character

February 15, 2022

One of my favorite characters of all time is Star Trek’s lovable android, Data. If you aren’t familiar with The Next Generation, and Data in particular, the most important thing…

Introducing…The Fear Thesaurus!

February 12, 2022

Introducing…The Fear Thesaurus!

February 12, 2022

Fear is an undeniable part of the human experience, for both real and fictional people. At its most basic, it warns our characters of potential danger and encourages them to…

Zig Zag Plot Arc

February 8, 2022

As writers, the classic arc-plot diagram is burned into our brains. The one conveying that our characters should move through our books in one steady climb, both externally and internally.…

Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Mentor and Protégé

February 5, 2022

Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Mentor and Protégé

February 5, 2022

Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story,…

6 Cheats to “Tell” Well (When It’s Warranted)

February 1, 2022

6 Cheats to “Tell” Well (When It’s Warranted)

February 1, 2022

Most of us are familiar with the “Show, don’t Tell” rule. In short, it’s more effective to dramatize the story than to simply tell what happened. Nonetheless, almost every story…

Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Giver and Taker

January 29, 2022

Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Giver and Taker

January 29, 2022

Phenomenal First Pages Contest

January 27, 2022

Phenomenal First Pages Contest

January 27, 2022

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…

Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting

January 25, 2022

Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting

January 25, 2022

By Liz Keller Whitehurst For centuries, people have been spellbound by magic and the supernatural. Ghosts, curses, talking creatures, portals to alternate dimensions…there’s just too much creative fodder for authors…