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.
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.
Story Development: Writing to Market
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Why it’s important to write a marketable book When you first start writing, one of the most common pieces of advice you will hear is, “All you have to do to be successful is write a great book.” …
Developing Your Story with a Plot Board: Part Three | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In this three-part series, we go over how to set up a plot board to develop your story from an idea into a tailor-made synopsis that is as detailed or sparse as you want it to be. A…
Developing Your Story with a Plot Board: Part Two | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In this three-part series, we go over how to set up a plot board to develop your story from an idea into a tailor-made synopsis that is as detailed or sparse as you want it to be. The…
Developing Your Story with a Plot Board: Part One | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In this three-part series, we will go over how to set up a plot board to develop your story from an idea into a tailor-made synopsis that is as detailed or sparse as you want it to be.…
Setting Up for Success: Excel Spreadsheets | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of my favorite author stories revolves around Dave Barry and Stephen King. Dave Barry tells this story of when he had writer’s block. He didn’t know what to do so he went over to Stephen King’s place…
A Room of One’s Own
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When you are setting up for writing success, don’t forget to make a space for yourself to write. J.K. Rowling just got blasted on social media recently because she mentioned she had a writing room. Of course, she…
Keeping a Writer’s Notebook
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 8 ways to use your writing notebook Writer’s love office supplies. In fact, the only thing they love more than a sale at Staples is a deal on journals. I have a collection of leather bound ones, spiral…
Planning Your Story
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Things you should know before you start your novel Before you can make the most of your writing time, you need to know where you’re going. Planning what you’re going to write can be as easy as saying,…
Getting Organized for Writing in the New Year | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > It’s time to plan for success! “He who fails to plan is planning to fail.” – Winston Churchill It would be great if our New Year’s resolutions inspired us past the first few weeks in January. Then we…
How to Know When to Take a Break from Writing | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > What happens when your writing fails you? This time exactly one year ago, I was struggling. Coming off some personal losses, a move, and a general upheaval of everything in my life, I was feeling adrift. It felt…
5 Ways to Get Over Writer’s Burnout
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > What to do when your creativity ebbs. Being a writer for a living is a funny thing. Unlike a lot of other jobs, writing comes down solely to you, and to your own mind. If you’re broken in…
Can You Make Money From Amazon Publishing ? | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Here’s the short answer and the not-so-short answer. On the way to school the other day, my kids and I were chatting about how much Amazon has changed the world. Strapped safely into the back seats of my…
The Unorthodox Way I Got a Nonfiction Book Deal | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > There’s no one way to sign on the dotted line. Hi there. My name is Chaunie and I’m a published author. I say that to you, not to sound like a conceited jerk, but to remind myself that…
Why Every Writer Can Benefit From NaNoWriMo | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Confessions from a writer too scared to try the challenge. If you’re a writer reading this, I’ll just go ahead and say it: I know your secret, the one you’re embarrassed to admit out loud, the one you’re…
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…
Prepping for NaNoWriMo
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Let’s get ready! NaNoWriMo is the National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers of all ages and skills get together online and in community meet-ups to write their own 50,000-word novel. In one month (thirty days). This will be…
Five Things to Change in Your Novel
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Don’t miss these in your manuscript Once you finish your novel, you should put it away for a few weeks so that you are fresh when you come back to edit it. Having that distance will allow you…
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…
