Unputdownable stories keep readers off balance, as one scene tips into another, and another, and the next. Each scene’s challenge demands a response, and each response spirals into fresh complications. […]
Three Strategies for Creating Progressively Escalating Complications Read More »
I’d be a pretty rotten curator of writing craft advice if I didn’t leap at the opportunity to share some writing craft wisdom that kicked my own butt. Amy Stewart’s
Why thinking outside the box is hurting your creativity Read More »
Hot take: Professional beta reading is an oxymoron. The core value of beta reading is the reader’s role as a stand-in for your eventual audience—everyday readers who pick up your
Should you hire a professional beta reader? Read More »
Remember those “explain it to me like I’m five” moments from school? While I’ve never had to explain fiction plotting to a kindergartener (thank goodness), I often find myself in
The Writes of Fiction: Teach your story to make it stronger Read More »
In between tales of snowy, uphill treks to school (spoiler #1: I lived in the desert) and drinking out of the garden hose (spoiler #2: I was more of a
Social media etiquette for authors Read More »
One of the quickest ways to make an editor, agent, or publisher not want to work with you is to send them an NDA before you’ll discuss the project. Please,
Do you need an NDA or copyright to send your manuscript to an editor? Read More »
In any discussion of story structure, the three-act model inevitably dominates the conversation. Even as plotting methods such as Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey, and the Snowflake Method gain
The Midpoint Complication: The missing link in three-act structure Read More »
The first time I slammed into the inflexibilities of daily schedules, I was a young adult cast as a Jawa in the original Star Wars film. It could’ve been such a glorious
The math of making more time to write Read More »
So what do you call a writer who doesn’t read? At our house, we call it losing the plot thread. There’s a reason my website has an entire section called Reading for Writers.
What do you call a writer who doesn’t read books? Read More »
My entire household of creatives has been glued to the screen for Hulu’s The Bear for a very specific reason: its unflinching exploration of what it feels like to pursue a creative
Making art and life with “The Bear” Read More »
