Category: How To and Tips
Let It Breathe: Unleashing the Power of Setting
By Kimberly Behre Kenna Can a house loom like a monster and still show up as the most tender thing in a story? In the opening scene of this middle-grade novel, thirteen-year-old Lola arrives at her uncle’s home: “…as soon as we turn into the driveway and I catch a glimpse of the stone roof […]
Crafting an Effective Atmosphere
What is ‘Atmosphere’? According to The Novelry, ‘it’s through atmosphere that we become immersed in stories, enjoying a sensory experience that goes beyond language’. We all know our literary devices, from metaphors and similes to personification and pathetic fallacy, but there’s a fine line between using them effectively and slipping into purple prose. Everything needs […]
An Accidental Memoirist
By Willa Goodfellow People ask, “What inspired you to write a memoir?” You’d think after two memoirs, I would have an answer. But there was no moment of inspiration. I am an accidental memoirist. I never sat down to write a book. They both just happened. In January 2005 on my way into the doctor’s office, […]
Plots and Paper; Scissors and Scenes… by Susan Kleinman
By Susan Kleinman “So,” the interviewer asks me, “what do you do when you’re not writing?” The first three answers that come to mind—I doomscroll, I cook dinner, I complain about having to cook dinner—don’t reflect terribly well on me, so I jump down to item #4 on the list and tell her that I […]
Writing Comedy Is No Joke
By Sue Clark My name is Sue Clark and I suffer from CWS. That’s comedy writing syndrome. Why do I have this compulsion to write comedy? You might think, because it’s a pleasant way to spend my day. It’s fun. It’s easy. Allow me to enlighten you. Don’t get me wrong, writing humour can be […]
How Starting a Podcast Saved My Writing Life
By Eva Langston A few years after my MFA graduation, a few of my former classmates got book deals. I was excited for them (of course I was!), but I was also filled with fear and shame. I felt like I was falling behind. My god, I thought, why had I not yet published a […]
The Magical Experience of Writing Romance Novels about Healing
By Patricia Leavy The Celestial Bodies Romances are a love letter to love itself—love in all forms—romance, friendship, country, work, art, and most importantly, learning to love ourselves. Tess Lee and Jack Miller’s love story is the heart of these novels. Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and […]
The Long Game: How Asking for Help Landed Me a Book Deal
By Linda K. Sienkiewicz The real work of a writer doesn’t end with typing The End. When it comes to publishing a novel, it also takes time, tenacity, and the humility to know when you need help. The publication of my second novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, didn’t happen overnight. It was the result […]
Feng Shui of the Soul
By Alexandra Grabbe This morning, I stuck a Free-Stuff sign in our front yard. I was carrying my second load of miscellaneous items out of the house when a car pulled up. “Are you really giving away that beautiful quilt?” the neighbor asked. “I am. It needs a new home. Would you like it?” Hormonal […]
‘It’s Complicated’: Our Relationship With Book Reviews
by Lorraine Devon Wilke Ah, reviews. The Holy Grail of every merchant, company, production, businessperson, artist, entrepreneur, and, yes, author. We need them, we want them; we pursue them, convinced they’re not only heartening to the soul but essential to the business, yet they’ve become harder to get and sometimes as vexing when received, a […]
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