The economy is tough right now - inflation is high, and everyone needs to stretch their dollars further, including writers. Black Friday is an excellent time to get what we need to succeed and save. To save you time, we've rounded up some of the best deals we've found, including one from us! … [Read more...] about Top Black Friday Deals for Writers
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Halloween for Adults: $2.99 Thesaurus Writing Guides
Halloween is here! We're sure you have the candy thing under control, so we wanted to let you know that today & tomorrow, you can also stuff your digital bookshelf with some writerly deals! (Affiliate links - thanks for keeping our lights on around here) For two days only, you can … [Read more...] about Halloween for Adults: $2.99 Thesaurus Writing Guides
Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Book Blurb Edition
Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly critique contest. This month, we have a unique contest: 10 winners will receive feedback on their book blurb from a professional editor! This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Book Blurb Edition
Writing About Pain: Best Practices for Great Fiction
Are you enjoying this series on writing your character’s pain? That’s a weird and slightly sadistic statement—even more so when we say how much we’ve enjoyed writing about pain. But it's one of those things your character IS going to encounter; it’s not a matter of if, but when (and how often). So … [Read more...] about Writing About Pain: Best Practices for Great Fiction
Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly critique contest. This month, we have a HUGE prize. 3 winners will receive feedback on 20 pages from a professional editor. So exciting! This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Writing Techniques: Use and Abuse of “Lampshading”
As storytellers, we usually want to keep readers immersed in our story. However, we’ve probably all written lines that we worry will break readers’ suspension of disbelief, such as with story events that might feel too cliché, coincidental, or incongruent. Obviously, we can try to fix the issue by … [Read more...] about Writing Techniques: Use and Abuse of “Lampshading”
Strategies for Smooth Scene Openings
If the opening line of a scene is the doorway to the party, what follows is the welcoming handshake and introductions that draw readers into the mix. Effective scene openings extend beyond the fireworks of a provocative opening hook, ushering readers into the new space with no awkward stumbles or … [Read more...] about Strategies for Smooth Scene Openings
Writing About Pain: Different Types to Explore
“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” -The Dread Pirate Roberts Pain is an unfortunate part of life. As our characters go about their day—working, building relationships, pursuing goals and dreams, blowing off steam—things won’t always go as planned, and … [Read more...] about Writing About Pain: Different Types to Explore
Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly critique contest! This month, winners will receive feedback from a professional editor. So exciting! 🙂 This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one goes live, consider subscribing … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
The Secret to Writing Your First Book Faster
And Why Your Second Book Will Be Faster Again… It took me two and a half years to write and revise my first book to get it to the point it was ready for readers. And then another 2 years to find my publisher and get it out into the world. My next book I wrote in 6 months. I now coach other … [Read more...] about The Secret to Writing Your First Book Faster
Five Commonalities Between Heroes and Villains
In story terms, a villain is a person, entity, or force who is cruel, evil, or malicious enough to wish the protagonist harm. Rather than simply blocking a goal or interfering with the hero’s plan, a villain causes suffering, making it vital for them to be conquered by the protagonist. Clarice must … [Read more...] about Five Commonalities Between Heroes and Villains
How to Stay Focused on Your Story’s Central Conflict
Conflict in every scene. We’ve all heard this advice, and for good reason. Your protagonist has a goal—hopefully, an audacious and high-stakes goal that is difficult to achieve. “Difficult” is important. It’s one of the qualities of a highly engaging story because the harder the goal is to reach, … [Read more...] about How to Stay Focused on Your Story’s Central Conflict