by Anne R. Allen I often run into new writers who want to be reassured they have talent. They sometimes ask me to read some fledgling work in hopes I’ll pronounce them “talented.”I always decline. (A wise author never goes there.) It’s not simply that I can’t fit one more thing into my already […]
How to Turn “Real Life” into Bestselling Fiction…and a Word about Memoirs
by Ruth Harris Writing a novel based on the lives of real people is much more than simply recounting their story—even if it’s a whizz-bang, humdinger of a story. The challenge is turning real people and real events into fiction. Having no guidelines at the time I wrote Decades, I figured it out as I […]
Is Perfectionism Slowing Your Writing Process? 7 Ways NaNoWriMo Can Help
by Anne R. Allen We’ve all met those people who think their sojourn on earth is meant to be a fault-finding mission. They can spot lint on your jacket at fifty paces, provide a litany of your imperfections whenever there’s a lull in the conversation, and be counted upon to tell you why your pumpkin […]
How to Write Chapter Endings That Make Readers Want to Turn the Page
by Jessica Bell A good chapter ending is like having one mouthful of your favourite food left on your plate, but not yet feeling full, so you go for seconds … and we hope, thirds, and fourths. The key to a great chapter ending is to introduce a new conflict. It doesn’t have to […]
BLOCK-BUSTING: 14 Never-Fail Tricks Every Writer Needs to Know
by Ruth Harris Stuck? Can’t get there from here? Something’s wrong but you don’t know what. You’re chasing your tail in an endless loop with no off-ramps in sight. You’re stalled out at a dead end in a dark, scary forest. Happens to every writer and no one knows why, but your book—and you—have come […]
10 Things that Red-Flag a Newbie Novelist
by Anne R. Allen Beginning novelists are like Tolstoy’s happy families. They tend to be remarkably alike. Certain mistakes are common to almost all beginners. These things aren’t necessarily wrong, but they are difficult to do well—and get in the way of smooth storytelling They also make it easy for professionals—and a lot […]
The Biggest Mistake New Writers Make and 5 Ways to Avoid It
by Anne R. Allen It’s been an exciting week for the blog. Marketing expert Penny Sansevieri named us to the Top 30 Websites for Indies and blog guru Molly Greene named us to her list of must-read “leaders” in self-publishing. (I’m only recently self-published—and most of my work is still with a small press—but […]
Writing Collaboration: Is it Right for You?
by Ruth Harris According to the sublime Cole Porter lyric: Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it.Writers do it, too. Often. Collaborate, that is. Peter Staub and Stephen King paired up to write horror and dark fantasy in The Talisman. Their Black House is a Stoker Award winner. Joe Konrath, an […]
10 Obsolete Beliefs that Can Block Self-Publishing Success
by Anne R. Allen New writers contact us every day, asking questions about everything from how to start their first short story (answer: butt in chair; hands on keyboard) to how to deal with trolls and bullies (don’t respond; walk away; report abuse.)We answer them all—as time permits—but there’s one kind of writer we […]
5 Protagonists Readers Hate: Why Writers Shouldn’t Identify too Closely with a Main Character
by Anne R. Allen You can learn all you want about writing powerful prose, well-planned story arcs, lyrical descriptions—or any other aspect of fiction—but if you don’t have a protagonist your readers care about, none of the rest matters.I don’t think it’s terribly relevant to talk about character “likability” in the sense of “niceness.” The […]
What is a Beta Reader? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Getting and Giving Feedback on your WIP
This week we’re proud to host author and editor Jami Gold, fresh from her role as a presenter at the RWA conference in San Antonio. If you missed the conference, Jami’s posts on the highlights of the annual Romance Writers Association event are fascinating. You’ll find them on her blog at JamiGold, Paranormal Author. Jami’s blog is […]
Why You Should Ignore Most Advice from your Critique Group…but They Can Help You Anyway
by Anne R. Allen I generally advise new writers to join a critique group or participate in writing workshops. Getting feedback on your own writing and discovering what works—and what doesn’t—in other writers’ WIPs provides an education you can’t get from simply reading craft books, blogs, or listening to lectures. And I’m not the […]
EDITS, EDITORS, EDITING—The Secret Weapon of Every Successful Writer
by Ruth Harris Editing is life. The blue tie? Or the yellow one? Peter or Paul? Or Mary? You’re an editor—whether or not you know it yet—because to edit is to choose. As a former editor, I’m obviously biased. As a writer, I’ve learned that for me (and for just about every writer I […]
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