Category: How To and Tips
You’re Never Too Old to Be Your Seven-Year-Old Self
By Saki Tanaka One of my favorite things about introducing myself as a picture book author-illustrator is hearing: “I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book!” Nothing delights me more than meeting kindred spirits and fellow storytellers. A common question that follows is: “How long did it take you to make your book?” When I […]
An Author’s Search for Voice
By Nancy Cole Silverman I recently attended a writers’ conference where a number of authors were huddled together discussing another author’s voice on the page. It made me think back on my career in broadcasting and the importance of voice and the story behind it. I spent nearly twenty-five years in broadcast news, most of […]
The Appeal of Retellings for Readers and Writers
It’s no secret that retellings of classic tales are popular and abundant. A prolific reader could spend a year reading nothing but various takes on Pride and Prejudice and still not get through all of the offerings. Readers like seeing new twists applied to their favorite stories. But what’s in it for an author? I […]
Inspiration for Writing by J.A. Schneider
Here’s the question I hear most from writer friends: How do you do it? Starting is terrifying – should I outline? Edit as I go? Alas, there’s no one size fits all answer. Everyone has a way that works best for them. I can’t do outlines. I’ve tried to, they never work out. All I […]
Three Genre-Crossing Blunders To Avoid
Three mistakes I made—and you don’t have to—when writing a first mystery or suspense novel By Andromeda Romano-Lax Recently, my first suspense novel, The Deepest Lake, was published by Soho Crime. It’s my sixth novel and a departure from my previous genres of historical fiction and literary fiction. Many people ask me why I made […]
The Two Best Tips for Writing a Strong Story: Put Characters in Conflict
To write a strong novel or story, you need characters in conflict. But conflict doesn’t just come from dramatic things happening. It comes from the character—what he or she needs and wants, and why he or she can’t get it easily. If those aspects are strong, your writing will be dramatic. Let’s start with a […]
Who Am I? And Does It Matter?
By Valerie Taylor At what point does a writer admit to themselves (and others) that they are, in fact, a living breathing author? Must certain events take place in order for that moniker to be valid? Events such as completion of a book’s first draft; or when that manuscript is submitted for review to an […]
Research Is Real for Fiction Writers
by Nan Reinhardt I’m so excited to share this new series with you—The Walkers of River’s Edge. We met the Walkers in previous series—if you are a River’s Edge reader, you might remember that Jazz Weaver is now married to Elias Walker, who left his CEO chair to return to being a carpenter in the […]
Writing Burnout
By Tsara Shelton “I’m just not connecting to my writing in the same way,” I explained to my mom over the phone. Curled into an old rocking chair in my living room in Quebec, I was chatting with my mom – also a writer – who was likely feet up on the old couch in […]
Something Wonderful: The Ripple Effects of Publishing a Novel
Something Wonderful: The Ripple Effects of Publishing a Novel From the time I was a child, I’ve had a notebook in front of me and a pen in my hand. The first time I thought about publishing a novel was in high school when I wrote my first full-length story of about two-hundred pages. When […]
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