Fiction

Naming your characters doesn’t sound that hard, does it?  Then why is it? Naming characters can be nearly as stressful as naming a newborn. You want something interesting and memorable, but not quirky or outrageous—unless you’re writing a comedy. You definitely don’t want to be… [Continue reading below]

If your writing bores you, it’ll put your reader to sleep.  And unfortunately, your first reader will be an agent or an editor.  Your job is to make every word count—the only way to keep your reader riveted until the end, which is no small… [Continue reading below]

You’ve got a great story idea you’re confident can become a page turner.  This is the one that won’t leave you alone. Every time you think or speak of it, you embellish it. Now what?  Plan your story like you’d plan a vacation — you… [Continue reading below]

A book like A Game of Thrones, a movie like Star Wars, or even a video game like Final Fantasy can make it appear their creators have effortlessly built a fantasy world out of nothing. In fact, these worlds may feel as real as the… [Continue reading below]

Full disclosure: I’m not a huge fan of Epilogues. That’s not to say they’re all bad. In fact, I’ve ended several of my novels with Epilogues. Done right, they can be a powerful way to leave your reader satisfied. But beware! Approach your Epilogue wrong… [Continue reading below]