The Blog

Writing craft, product updates, and thoughts on the creative process.

The Single Worst Piece of Writing Advice You Will Hear
The Single Worst Piece of Writing Advice You Will Hear

You are boring, and I don't say that to be mean. You want to be boring! But reading a book that way would be a snooze fest. Here's why 'write what you know' might be the worst advice ever given to writers — and what to do instead.

When Was Your Tale
When Was Your Tale

Your story's tense isn't just a grammar choice - it's a contract with your reader. Past tense says the narrator survived. The present tense says anything can happen. Which one are you signing?

Who is Telling Your Tale? A Guide to Narrative Perspectives
Who is Telling Your Tale? A Guide to Narrative Perspectives

Whether consciously or unconsciously, there is one question you have to answer within the first few sentences of your story: Who is telling this tale? For most writers, the choice...

Messy is the goal, not the Consequence
Messy is the goal, not the Consequence

If you are a new writer there is one piece of advice you need to hear first, above anything else I or anyone else can give you. Your first draft sucks. No qualification, no buts —...