Category: How To and Tips
Deborah L. King: On Writing
I was a fantastic liar as a child. For years I told people that four fingers on each hand were smashed and broken by a heavy window that I attempted to close when I was four years old. I told how I removed the screwdriver that held the window up. I described the pain and […]
Writing Stories with Larger Meanings and Goals
By Sharon J. Wishnow On August 29, 2021 Hurricane Ida, a massive 150 mph category 4 storm slammed into Grand isle, Louisiana. Twelve hundred miles north in my home in Northern Virginia, I wept. Stories that move us and remain with us are the ones where we feel an emotional connection to the characters and […]
Choosing Your People By Rhett DeVane
By Rhett DeVane Friendships became vital during the pandemic. Now, as we crawl from our hideouts to physically interact, those connections are just as crucial. Recently, as I thought about the underlying themes in my novel Ditch Weed, two stood out: the importance of both heart-family and intragenerational friendships. I discovered these common threads not […]
Reasons to Love Developmental Editing
By Martha Carlson Developmental editing of fiction is work that brings me joy. Writers come to me with questions and uncertainty, and I use my experience, education, and training to bring them clarity and to recharge their enthusiasm for revising their work. I love hearing clients respond to my editing by saying “I have a […]
Writing Together: The Evolution of My Writing Practice
By Christina Consolino For me, writing began as a solitary act. Much like when I read, I immersed myself in the world of story, reveling in the characters, setting, plot, and themes. My lone writing time gave me the opportunity to marinate in my work, and I believed my introverted self couldn’t possibly write with […]
From Mechanical Engineer to Romance Author: My Journey to Writing Sweet Contemporary Romantic Comedies
By Camilla Isley Ever since I was a child, books have been my sanctuary. I remember the thrill of flipping through pages, getting lost in fantastical worlds, and forming connections with characters who felt like friends. As a teen, I was swept up in the Harry Potter craze, eagerly anticipating each new release. Those moments […]
How I Accidentally-on-Purpose Ended Up a Co-author, and You Can, Too!
By Tiffani Angus As writers, we tend to be solo workers, so to many of us, the idea of writing with someone else…? Bite your tongue! Being a co-author can be scary and mean losing things: a say in your story, power over what’s written, or even yourself under a pile of words you didn’t […]
FOUR TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL CO-WRITING
By Tracy Badua Writing can be such a solitary pursuit: just you and a writing instrument, for hours on end. But it doesn’t have to be. For our upcoming middle grade book, Alechia Dow and I worked together in outlining, drafting, revising, and stress-baking over The Cookie Crumbles, a murder mystery centered on a kids […]
Re-learning How to Write by Lynne Spriggs O’Connor
Re-learning How to Write by Lynne Spriggs O’Connor At 42 years old, l’d left behind everything about my city life as an academic and moved to rural Montana, where the unexpected love story of my lifetime began to unfold. When I got married for the first time at age 49, I again stepped into an […]
Practical (and Fun) Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block by Elizabeth Stix
Struggling with writer’s block? You’re not alone. Elizabeth Stix, author of the short story collection THINGS I WANT BACK FROM YOU (June 14, 2024, Black Lawrence Press) shares practical and fun tips in this article. By Elizabeth Stix We’ve all had days when we show up at the computer and can’t think of anything to say. […]
Recent Comments