“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 [...]

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 [...]

“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 [...]

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 gaps. Your reader could [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

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. Or you could [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]