Archive:

The Writing Craft

How to Build Tension and Suspense to Keep Readers Hooked

July 22, 2024

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 nonfiction—that causes readers to anticipate.  Anticipate what? Literally […]

Read More

How to Publish a Book: The Ultimate Guide

July 22, 2024

So you’ve finished writing your book—perhaps a lifelong dream—and now you want to get it published. Where do you go from here? You poured your heart and soul into the writing, and I hope you also spent countless hours editing and revising. Any seasoned expert will tell you: All writing is rewriting. Certainly the writing […]

Read More

How to Describe the Setting of a Story

July 15, 2024

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 done it. But there are common errors to […]

Read More

Bird by Bird: Anne Lamott’s Timeless Guide to Writing & Life

July 8, 2024

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a love letter to the writing life by an author who understands the struggles and triumphs of we who dare to put words onto the page. With her trademark wit and wisdom, Lamott offers practical advice on everything from character development to dealing with writer’s block.  She reminds […]

Read More

5 Tips to Mastering First-Person Point of View

June 10, 2024

From childhood you’ve been telling stories in the first-person, using I, me, and my. It’s the simplest way to relay an experience. It can also be the best point of view for you as a beginning writer. Read on for first-person point of view tips, tricks, and pitfalls. Why Use the First-Person Point of View? […]

Read More