Archive:

Fiction

How to Build Tension and Suspense to Keep Readers Hooked

December 8, 2025

  Want Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More Your greatest challenge as a writer is to keep readers engaged. Your job is to keep them with you page after page to find out what happens. Inject tension into your work to enthrall readers. What is Tension in Writing? Tension is anything in your manuscript—fiction or […]

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7 Story Structures Any Writer Can Use

December 8, 2025

You may have a great story but no idea where to start. Whether an Outliner or a Pantser, you need an idea of where you’re going. So….  Where do you begin?  What’s the middle supposed to look like?  How do you craft a resounding ending? You need a basic story structure, and the good news […]

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How to Describe the Setting of a Story

December 8, 2025

  Want Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More One of the toughest nuts for you to crack as a novelist is where to start. Two-thirds of my more than 200 published books are novels, so I’ve faced this dilemma more than 140 times. Trust me, starting never gets easier, no matter how many times you’ve […]

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How Long Does It Take to Write a Book?

December 8, 2025

Writing a book can take a lifetime. But realistically, how long should you expect yours to take?  If you’re trying to balance a full-time job, a family, or every other priority life throws in your path, where will you find the time—and how much time do you need? Your book should serve as a way […]

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Immersive World Building

December 8, 2025

Want Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More   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 world you […]

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