You thought you’d finished up a darned good manuscript ready to send out into the world, so you decided to give yourself a well-deserved vacation.
Upon your return, you started rereading your opus and began unexpectedly to channel your stern fifth grade teacher Mrs. Spellman. Remember her?
In a blinding flash, you realized you’d produced endless [...]

Q: There’s so much for a writer to think about: platform, query letters, agents, marketing. What’s the most important thing to focus on?
A: That’s easy. Focus on the content of your book. There’s nothing more important.
Content is king
Before all else, keep your attention on the core concept and execution of your book [...]

The most creative minds in publishing are racing to develop iPad app editions of upcoming titles that will utilize the new device’s unique audio, video, interactive and social networking capabilities.
The excitement is contagious!
As a writer, you may want to start looking at how these apps can extend and expand the creative canvas of your book.
[These [...]

Listening in on random conversations — okay, blatant eavesdropping — is a time-honored technique for writers fine-tuning their ear and seeking authentic feelings with distinctive ways of expressing them.
Norman Mailer did it
If you practice eavesdropping, you’re in good company. Norman Mailer used to whip out a little spiral-bound notebook at parties and write down [...]

It takes courage and character to be a writer. It means accepting the risk of revealing yourself and overcoming fears of putting your honest feelings and dangerous ideas right there on the page.
Facing that blank page in the privacy of your own mind and stripping away your defenses to confront hard truths requires an [...]

“A voice journal will keep your characters from becoming little versions of you.”
That advice comes from James Scott Bell, author of The Art of War for Writers, a new book of strategies and exercises for fiction authors.
“You’ll find yourself excited about your characters. You’ll think about them even when you’re not writing. They [...]

Q:  There’s some background information I need to include so my narrative makes more sense.  How can I do that without breaking the flow of the story?
A:  Many writers struggle with blending in historical context and a who’s who of key characters from the past whose influence has led up to their protagonist’s current dilemma [...]

Psst!  Wanna write a scorcher for the booming YA market?
OK, here’s the secret: The first thing you need to do is create an authentic, quirky, true-to-life voice.
The story and characterizations in Young Adult fiction are crucial too, of course, but the most important element is that distinctive narrative personality.
The strongest and most powerful voice is [...]

“Writing a memoir is an act of courage. Be brave. It means exposing who you really are, which is hard to do, even to yourself.”
That advice comes from a conversation I had recently with Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D., President of the National Association of Memoir Writers. She’s the author of a new book, The Power [...]

Q: Someone in my writers group complained that my plot is hard to follow. Can you help?
A: You might need to work on the transitions — the glue that makes a seamless narrative.  You might need to add a few words of clarification or entire new passages to bridge the [...]

What if a reader’s neocortex actually lit up because he recognized your cab driver’s distinctive Hoboken snarl?
Or her hypothalamus sent off sparks because she could practically taste the creamy hot chocolate with handmade vanilla marshmallows that your heroine sipped at the Bittersweet Café?
There’s scientific evidence that books really do turn on our brains.
The brain’s response [...]

Short story collections are big business. Thousands of anthologies are in print with many more published each year. A quick look at Amazon shows 29,000 story collections listed. Of those, more than 3,500 are anthologies of stories by a single author.
That may surprise some short story writers, including those who’ve asked me if they have [...]

Q : Everyone says I need to wrap up my manuscript and stop writing already. But I’m really stuck.  Any advice?
A : This isn’t unusual. You may have taken a wrong turn early in the story as a result of poor planning. Or you may have painted yourself into a corner. [...]

Welcome to the final round in our series of book proposal critiques. It’s an audiocast, so to get started, just click the play button below.
The six book proposals
•The first proposal we’ll be looking at today is for a sci-fi/fantasy novel that takes place in a South American jungle.  The hero is a hack novelist, whose [...]

In the increasingly difficult competition to get published, writers know they must put their best foot forward by sending out only a professional, polished, and persuasive new proposal or manuscript to any prospective literary agent or publisher.
Many authors have come to understand the value of objective help before taking the plunge, and I don’t mean [...]

Q:  I’ve heard that New York publishers will only accept books written from a third-person limited POV and no head hopping allowed.
Does this mean I have to rewrite my manuscript to conform to these rules?
A:  No! Stop. Don’t succumb to this kind of advice.
These rumors can start as the result of an editor or agent [...]

Q :   I know that agents and editors look for writers who have strong voices, but I’m having trouble finding mine.  Any advice?
A :   It’s true. Editors, agents, publishers and, above all, readers do respond most to a writer with a great voice.
Voice is what gives writing energy, authenticity, it animates the narrator and characters  [...]

Are you an author who’d rather spend time with your fictional creations than with a real significant somebody who’s waiting in the next room?
Are you in love with your characters?
An intimate relationship
As an editor, I know how emotionally involved authors become with the people in their books.  A story is always more successful when the [...]

Self-confidence is the single most essential ingredient an author needs to succeed, since good writing is never that quick or easy.
To keep at it requires energy, discipline, and a sense of humor.
The most accomplished and productive writers I work with are able to sustain a level of assurance and optimism. And that’s even when they’re  [...]

Q : I submitted my manuscript to an agent and she said the plot was confusing and needed a lot of work. I was crushed!  What should I do?
A : Telling a good story is the writer’s most important task. But constructing a great plot with so many ideas, characters and actions careening [...]