Category: How To and Tips
Using Fiction to Find Light in the Darkness
When I sat down to write my latest book, I knew very little about the plot. All I knew for sure was that it needed to start with an unprecedented tragedy—a state of international heartbreak and desperation so raw that the world would be at a total loss for what next. Because that’s the question […]
The Appeal of Flawed Characters
To effectively create fictional characters, it is necessary to be an observer. Writers study people—their physical appearance, mannerisms, speech patterns, personalities, life experiences, motivations, and resulting actions. A writer can be inspired by a particular individual, or he/she might combine aspects of several people to create one character. As book-readers and TV-and-film viewers, we crave […]
Five Things You Need To Do Before NANOWRIMO
National Novel Writing Month or NANOWRIMO, is only a few short weeks away. If you are unfamiliar with this phenomenon you can check out their website to read through all the details. This year marks eighteen years for the event, which started with just twenty-one participants the first year. Last year they had 431,626 participants, […]
Writing Advice: How Fellow Writers Can Help You Get Published
Like the great cats, or giant pandas we labor alone at our craft, at least most of the time. Oh, we may venture out occasionally to find a mate as do the majestic beasts, but we have no colleagues with whom to shmooze, to bounce off ideas, or to complain about the frustrations of publishing. […]
A Return to Spain: Lessons on the Writing Life
Last week, I had a chance to stop in Madrid for a few days on my way home from Senegal, where I’d been visiting my daughter. I think of Spain as my touchstone—especially Madrid—because I have been here at so many different points in my life. I first lived in Madrid as a college student. […]
Ripped From The Headlines
Lis Wiehl, author of The Candidate: A Newsmaker Novel is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels. She is currently a popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel. Perhaps no decision is as important to a writer as picking the right story to tell. You can’t commit to a novel unless the […]
Shouting From The Rooftops: Self Promo
Way back in the mists of time (2000) at the instigation of author Margaret Murphy I was one of seven northern crime writers who clubbed together to launch Murder Squad. We created a website, produced a brochure and were soon appearing at libraries and festivals throughout the country to promote our work. The impetus for […]
How to Write about Something You Know Nothing About
I recently began taking piano lessons as an adult, and I can now tell you this for certain: I am no musician. On the first day, when I told my piano teacher that I wanted to learn to play ragtime, she said: “Why does everyone always want to tackle the hardest music first?” I didn’t […]
Lessons Learned From The Brooklyn Book Festival
Never having been a vendor at a book festival, I jumped at the chance to share a booth at the Brooklyn Book Festival with two other She Writes Press authors, Sande Boritz Berger, author of The Sweetness, A Novel and Liz Gelb O’Connor, author of The Angelorum Chronicles and Caught Up in Raine—romantic women’s fiction. […]
I Can’t Believe You Said That- Using Dialogue to Build Conflict
Dialogue is a critical component of your novel. It shows character, provides an opportunity to move the plot forward, and increases your pacing by breaking up large narrative blocks. This article focuses on how dialogue can also help build the conflict in your novel. All novels require conflict. Agents, editors, and readers rarely feel that […]
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