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Writing Lessons

The Importance of Beginning a Book with Publishing End Goals in Mind

June 5, 2025

The Importance of Beginning a Book with Publishing End Goals in Mind

June 5, 2025

Liz Alterman is here to share the importance of knowing your publishing end goals for a book before you start writing it. Plus, she’s giving away a query critique and…

Three Strategies for Creating Progressively Escalating Complications

June 3, 2025

Three Strategies for Creating Progressively Escalating Complications

June 3, 2025

Unputdownable stories keep readers off balance, as one scene tips into another, and another, and the next. Each scene’s challenge demands a response, and each response spirals into fresh complications.…

Writing 101: A Tutorial for Understanding Point of View

May 22, 2025

Writing 101: A Tutorial for Understanding Point of View

May 22, 2025

Understanding point of view basics is essential for writing strong, emotionally resonant fiction, so this is a good topic to explore as part of our 101 series. The viewpoint you…

Reading Like a Writer

May 20, 2025

Reading Like a Writer

May 20, 2025

We all know that as writers we should be reading a lot. It’s one of the best ways to learn the craft, and Stephen King’s quote on the topic is…

New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus + Save 25%

May 17, 2025

New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus + Save 25%

May 17, 2025

In 2024, Becca and I began exploring character tropes and archetypes with one goal in mind: to create a resource that helps writers better use tropes by providing each one’s…

Write a 5-Star Book 2

May 13, 2025

Write a 5-Star Book 2

May 13, 2025

When I set out to write Book 2 in my Fountain series, I made the common mistake of thinking it would be easier than the first one, which took me…

Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman

May 9, 2025

Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman

May 9, 2025

Ready to dive into your character’s internal struggle and put all that incredible gut-twisting conflict on the page? If so, don’t miss this upcoming Zoom workshop on Saturday, May 24th,…

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

While there are many kinds of stories, most of them today are about a protagonist navigating a change or growth arc. In this model, the character undergoes a personal journey…

Writing 101: 7 Tips for Writing Strong Dialogue

April 22, 2025

Writing 101: 7 Tips for Writing Strong Dialogue

April 22, 2025

Welcome to the next post in our Writing 101 series: Dialogue Techniques. The first installment covered common mistakes with dialogue mechanics, which are important to master if you want to…

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

When it comes to generating conflict, your character’s personality can help ensure that sparks fly, especially when their traits clash with someone else’s. When people grate on one another their…