Setting the Stage: Scenes
Scenes are the building blocks of the story. A scene is simply the action and dialogue that takes place at a specific location in a specific time in the story.
Six Step-by-Steps for Your Book Marketing Plan | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Having anxiety about creating a book marketing plan? I did, and I’m a marketer. Going through that period of freak-out on my own novel project helped me understand, for the first time, how creating a marketing plan could…
Getting Unstuck
Here is the thing about writing. Eventually, no matter what else you do, you’ll get stuck. It’s uncomfortable and scary but here’s what you do to move past it.
Top 3 Source of Writer’s Block (& How to Jump Over Them Now)
Here are the top 3 sources of writer’s block and how to bust right past them from guest blogger Kristin J. Dawson. Read on for tools to help you right now!
Let’s Talk About Plot
Many writers struggle with plot. Plot has to mix and blend characters, theme, premise, and more. So, let’s break down the essentials of plot.
How to Avoid Writer’s Block
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > We spend months, even years, weaving characters and conflicts into a story. We cut, tweak, and rearrange. Yet if someone asks what our story is about, we might be dumbstruck. “It’s about a woman who inherits a cosmetic…
Check Your Clutter
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Like most writers, I’m prone to clutter. Clutter in my office with one deep drawer in my desk where I toss an alarming variety of things. And shelf clutter with all the…
Breaking Through Writer’s Block
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Stuck Is a Symptom, Not the Cause Whether you write for fun or profit, you likely have had this experience: You feel the adrenalin rush about a story idea. It is so clear in our thoughts that it…
Yeah, It’s Work
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writing is work. Now, I’m not one of those who think writing is suffering or agony. Honestly, if it were agony, I’d do something else with my time to make money for my family. But it is work.…
Live Long and Prosper with Verisimilitude and Suspension of Disbelief
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > We’re all Captain James T. Kirk when we sit down to write. We boldly go where no man or woman has gone before—and we take readers with us. The idea is not to drag them kicking and screaming.…
Harnessing the Power of No
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > This week is mostly going to be story time, so let me share some with you. When I was younger and single, folks had a tendency to assume I had a lot…
Falling in Love
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some writers create playlists for their books. Some do elaborate interviews with their characters. Some just can’t get started until they come up with names: name of the book, name of the…
Character Arc and Conflict: You Can’t Have One Without the Other
For your main character to have a satisfying character arc, there has to be conflict. Without it, how does your character grow and change? Get these tips today!
A Letter from Editor Eileen Robinson – Institute for Writers
140: A Letter from Editor Eileen Robinson
March 15, 2019
Dialogue Attribution: Small Thing, Big Effect | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Dialogue is the favorite part of story writing for many authors. In dialogue writing, the author is able to give voice to the people the author created. Also dialogue is a favorite…
The Forge for Your Characters
The literary term for life experience is backstory. This is your character’s origin story. Discover tips for backstory from IFW instructor Lynne Smith.
All Done, or Not?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of the most satisfying things about writing is finishing a book or story. That last line typed, that last period placed almost always brings a rush of accomplishment. If you’re like…
People Aren’t Perfect – Your Characters Shouldn’t Be Either
While characters are often created from similar molds or archetypes, it is their imperfections that draw us in. Tips for crafting engagingly flawed characters.
138: Interview with Leslie Connor
138: Interview with Leslie Connor
March 1, 2019
The Value of Road Maps
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I do love having a GPS to guide us whenever we’re making a road trip. Still, to be honest, I miss the days when I navigated using a combination of internet map…
