Make Yourself the Most Useful Writer in Your Critique Group
Make Yourself the Most Useful Writer in Your Critique Group
Critical response process turns you into the critique partner every writer wants: someone who offers actionable observations instead of opinionated fixes. Developed by choreographer Liz Lerman for dance and theater…
Read more…How to Show Your Character Is Healing from an Emotional Wound
How to Show Your Character Is Healing from an Emotional Wound
When it comes to writing a story where a character is going to work through a difficult past wound, there are two behavioral states to convey: one showing their brokenness…
Read more…How to Amp up Your Story Setting
How to Amp up Your Story Setting
Taking the time to choose the right setting for each scene is one of the best ways to ensure our writing has impact. Why? Because the setting touches everything. It…
Read more…How to Use Hidden Experiences to Pull Readers In
How to Use Hidden Experiences to Pull Readers In
No matter who your protagonist is—a formidable galactic emperor, a morally complex teenager, or the retiree down the street with too many cats—readers must find something fundamentally relatable about them,…
Read more…How to Find Symbols in Your Settings
How to Find Symbols in Your Settings
We all want our writing to be layered. Like a gourmet meal, we want there to be more to them than just what’s seen on the surface. In stories, this…
Read more…Should You Write What You Know or Aim to Experiment?
Should You Write What You Know or Aim to Experiment?
Savannah Cordova suggests ditching writing what you know for the new and improved version: Know what you write. Show-don’t-tell! Kill your darlings! Don’t use adverbs! Sound familiar? Most writers will…
Read more…Refilling Your Creative Well with Artist Dates
Refilling Your Creative Well with Artist Dates
Book Coach Monica Cox has some fresh ideas for refilling your creative well as a writer, so read on! As writers, we mine our experiences and observations, pour our emotions…
Read more…How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character
How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character
I truly believe that excellent stories require excellent characters. And with so many books already out there, we’ve got to be able to deliver compelling and realistic characters to set…
Read more…6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In
6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In
There are a lot of Dos and Don’ts for a story’s first pages. Do introduce the protagonist(s). Do start in medias res. Don’t start with a dream sequence. Don’t info…
Read more…Making Nice Guys & Girls Realistically Flawed
Making Nice Guys & Girls Realistically Flawed
We’ve talked a lot around here about why characters need flaws. Those negative traits make characters relatable to readers, they contribute to their arc, and, oh, a whole bunch of…
Read more…How to Leverage Humanity to Outshine AI-Generated Books
How to Leverage Humanity to Outshine AI-Generated Books
AI is reshaping the book industry, and writers are polarized; some have integrated AI into their writing process while others refuse to. No matter which camp you align with I’m…
Read more…How to Write Intense Scenes That Captivate Readers
How to Write Intense Scenes That Captivate Readers
Writing intense scenes can be one of the most exciting parts of storytelling. Whether it’s a gripping fight, a romantic encounter that leaves hearts racing, or an emotional moment that…
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