Introduction to Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding isn’t just for fantasy writers. Every character lives somewhere and travels through the world. Let’s make that world real for your readers.
Worldbuilding Checklist
Worldbuilding is usually associated with speculative fiction writers, but even historical, memoir, and romance authors must create a world for their characters.
Hands
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > My hands are cracking from washing them so often these days. Yours too? How about, in addition to tending to your hands with soap and water, writing a poem to and for and about them, those prehensile and…
Narrative Nonfiction
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Melissa Stewart, writer and nonfiction evangelist, fills her Twitter feed with books and bits to help writers and buyers better understand nonfiction. She’s made nonfiction her life. And she explains that nonfiction is basically broken into two broad…
Time for a Sound Check?
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Hearing” your manuscript with a reader’s ear As you polish your manuscript, you will likely review it numerous times, looking for ways to improve the content, style, and presentation. Some experts suggest reading a hard copy in addition…
Avoiding the “As You Know Bob…”s
Dialogue can be an effective way to share backstory with your readers. Here’s what to do and what not to do when using dialogue to convey a character’s past.
Revising for a Strong Start
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A checklist for hooking your reader. As the saying goes, we have one chance to make a first impression, and it’s the same with writing. Editors, agents, and readers tend to cast aside stories with weak beginnings. It’s…
Hooking the Reader
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > With all the competition from Kindle Unlimited, self-published books, and traditional publishing’s blitz of new releases and re-releases, getting and keeping a reader’s attention has gotten difficult. You need to entice the reader from the very first line,…
Setting as a Character
Write a setting so integral you can enhance your characters’ experiences, drive home your theme and mirror the characters’ journey through the novel.
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.
Success Ahead in Creating Characters
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Success Ahead in Creating Characters As we look at a successful year ahead, we must overcome the problems that have held our writing back. One of the frequent problems new authors encounter…
Picture Books: 3 Sides to Great Picture Book Characters
Picture books are a character-driven art form. A large part of their success lies in truly memorable picture book characters. So what makes us love your character?
Picture Books: First Lines
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Every picture book must begin somewhere and those opening lines are surprisingly important. For one thing, buyers on Amazon who use the “Look Inside” feature to browse the book often only see…
Picture Book Autopsy
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Many children’s writers have tried writing picture books. Some have gone on to tremendous success. Some have simply moved on to writing that suits their skill sets better. But the reality is…
Down and Dirty Plotting
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Techniques for pulling it all together. With National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) right around the corner, or if you’re about to write a new book, it’s helpful to have a plot outline in front of you when you’re…
The Process of Novel Writing: Transitions
In novel writing, transitions jump readers ahead in time or place quickly. Here’s how to leave the reality of a scene and skim ahead via a transition.
The Process of Novel Writing: Jumping In
Few things are scarier in novel writing than a blank page. Since your rough draft is almost certain to change, the important thing is to begin.
The Process of Novel Writing: Planning
Before plotting, comes planning the premise. The premise is the idea that will make this particular novel different and is the kernel from which the plot grows.
Achieving Deep POV
The goal of deep POV is to give the reader a chance to be inside your character’s head. Discover ways to achieve deep point of view in your next story.
Strunk & White: The Elements of Style
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog Virtually everyone calls it a “classic”—and with good reason Ask anyone for recommendations about books on writing and invariably someone will pipe up with, “Strunk & White—The Elements of Style!” Having somehow managed to arrive squarely in the middle…
