Fiction

How do you keep readers riveted to the end? Conflict is the engine of fiction. Readers love it. Dianna and I recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and agree on almost everything. That’s a gift. On the page? Boring. The more conflict, the more interesting… [Continue reading below]

You love to write and have been told you have a way with words. So you’ve decided to give writing a try—creative writing. Problem is, you’re finding it tougher than it looks. You may even have a great story idea, but you’re not sure how… [Continue reading below]

Acquisitions editors and agents can reject some manuscripts within the first two pages. If they aren’t hooked immediately, they move on. That doesn’t sound fair — and maybe it isn’t — but that’s the reality we writers face. Even if you’re self-publishing and avoiding the… [Continue reading below]

Why do we remember characters like Huckleberry Finn, Oliver Twist, Frodo Baggins, and Harry Potter years after we meet them? Page-turning novels feature believable characters with human flaws, people who grow heroic in the end. So how do you conjure up characters like that? First,… [Continue reading below]

You’ve got a story idea you’re certain has the potential to impact lives. Where do you start? There’s enough writing advice on the internet to overwhelm you and make you want to quit before you even begin. So let’s simplify things. Writing a story is… [Continue reading below]