This blog is designed to help you hone your craft and create writing that lingers with readers. New posts are released Monday mornings and cover topics from grammar to voice to recommended reading.
Description immerses your reader in your story. Quality description focuses on showing the details that impact your story and is key to your readers’ ability to experience and picture your setting, characters, and events. If you want your readers to feel something when they read your writing, you need to use quality description.
Read MoreEvery writer becomes too close to their story to see what is actually on the page instead of what they think is there. Even though you might use beta readers and critique groups, you still need a professional editor because they will read your piece in a timely manner like a reader and have the industry knowledge and skills to elevate your book so it will linger with your readers.
Read MoreTo understand how a critique group can improve your writing, look at how 30th Street Fiction critique group impacted “The Mortician’s Assistant.” I share before and after lines from my story, so you can see how critique impacted my piece and what it can do for your writing.
Read MoreIf you’re looking for a critique group or new members, you not only need to know where to find writers, but also how to organize a critique group and what your responsibilities as the leader are.
Read MoreReceiving good feedback from fellow writers isn’t as simple as joining a critique group. Not all critique groups are healthy or right for you and your writing, so you need to know the five signs and red flags of good and bad critique groups.
Read MoreGetting feedback from other writers is one of the best things you can do for your story. They will see aspects that need improvement you are too close to see and be able to article how you can improve your writing, so I recommend all writers join a writers’ critique group.
Read MoreScenes are the building blocks of your story. If a foundation scene is weak, the whole story collapses. Use these five revision steps to ensure they are strong and impactful.
Read MoreOne way to learn how to revise your story is to look into how other writers approach revision. This article covers the techniques I used to revise my first novel. Take what is applicable to your book and leave the pieces that aren’t.
Read MoreWhen revising your story, focus on the purpose of each section. Your beginning should hook. Your middle should constantly raise the stakes, and your ending should leave an emotional impact. That’s what you bring to the forefront during revision.
Read MoreRevising a story — short or long — can quickly become overwhelming. Luckily there are three key elements to edit first. Without these, your story won’t linger with your readers and all the other parts won’t matter. Learn where and how to start your revision here.
Read MoreIf you want to make your story standout from others in your genre, you need to make the tropes and stereotypes your own. The authors of the short stories in The Dragon Book re-imagine the infamous creatures. The anthology also demonstrates how to pace and design a collection.
Read MoreAfter you’ve written an irresistible book blurb and put together a captivating cover, you still have one more piece of design: the interior of your book. Your book’s inside design disappears when done correctly and jars readers when incorrect. Interior book design is essential to your book’s success.
Read MoreThere are many ways to tell a story. It can be written, spoken, sung, even shown through images. Mark Ludy illustrates how one man can change a community through wordless, vibrant images in The Flower Man. If you need to brush up your characterization and body language techniques, start with this book.
Read MoreWhether you’re self or traditionally publishing, the aspect of your book cover you have the most control over is the blurb, where you describe what your book is about. As the author, it is your job to find a short, impactful way to communicate your book’s concept and convince readers to choose your story.
Read MoreWhen people say your cover sells your book, they aren’t only talking about the image on the front. The elements of your back cover convince a reader to buy because that is where they are introduced to your story, your characters, and you. Your back book cover convinces a reader to buy.
Read MoreThe Sleeper and the Spindle is a young adult short story transformed into a graphic novel. Written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Chris Riddell, it is an excellent example of how the written word and visual art can come together to create an engaging story. If you’re thinking about combining text and image, or another kind of creative partnership, read this book.
Read MoreWhether on the spine or the front cover, the first piece of writing your reader sees is your title. Combined with your font, your title is an essential part of your book cover. A powerful title makes a reader curious, so they pull your book off the shelf or click on its thumbnail to find out more.
Read MoreEmotional front book covers sell books. If your colors and graphics don’t come together to convey an emotion and genre, your ideal reader won’t pick up your story. In order to get your reader’s attention, you have to design a cover for them, not you.
Read MoreInsanity is a common theme in literary fiction and fear in people. If you’re using this dark, relatable trope, read Fra Keeler to learn how Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi uses stream of consciousness, symptoms of madness, and internal conflict, so her readers experience what it’s like to go insane alongside her narrator.
Read MoreIf you’ve decided to earn a MFA in Creative Writing or are on the fence, you need to know what it’s like inside the program. You will study writing and have time to write, but you’ll also have to deal with genre favoritism, lack of professors, and other aspects out of your control. I survived my MFA. Here’s how you can too.
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