The Blog
Writing craft, product updates, and thoughts on the creative process.
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.
Your plot can be flawless and your world-building immaculate - but if your characters don't feel real, none of it matters. Here are 8 of the most common character development mistakes authors make, and how to avoid them.
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?
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...
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 —...
When a lot of writers start their first novel, they assume the process is pretty simple: you open your text editor of choice, type out "In the beginning..." (or some variant), hamm...
Don't lie. You and I both know you're guilty of this.You say you'll sit down to write as soon as the muse strikes. But when you finally sit at your desk, you suddenly realize you d...