Fiction

Acquisitions editors and agents reject some manuscripts within the first page or two. 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 harsh glare of professional eyes, you must rivet your readers from the get-go or most will close your book without a second […]

The wildly popular phenomenon, National Novel Writing Month, starts November 1 every year, and you’re urged to write an entire 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. Wouldn’t it be great to actually finish a novel in 30 days? That very idea has inspired millions of writers from all over the world to embark […]

Guest post by Becca Puglisi If you’ve been on the writing trail long enough, you’ve heard plenty of talk about conflict and the role it plays in storytelling. Whatever form it takes, conflict creates tension while providing opportunities for characters to grow and evolve as they navigate their character arcs. But some of the most […]

Everybody loves a story in which the hero is the ultimate good guy and triumphs over evil — like Superman or Harry Potter. But beware. The #1 mistake you can make when developing characters is creating heroes that are perfect. What reader can identify with perfection? The most memorable, plausible, believable heroes exhibit human, flawed […]