Tales of “writing rules” follow us everywhere, from our creative writing classes to critique groups and writing groups to workshops,...

One of the most repeated and misunderstood writing advice quotes comes from Mark Twain, who said, “Write what you know.” So, if you...

And no, I'm not talking about dinner and a movie. What I’m talking about here is whether putting the year or some specific true event in...

The great Mickey Spillane once said, “Nobody reads a book to get to the middle.” Well, duh. But really, think about that. Isn’t the...

Have you ever been told your story is lacking? Perhaps the one telling you something is missing is the voice inside your head. You know...

Because just like everything in life, not all editors are the same and just because that editor your friend is using has been great for...

Traditional vs. Indie Publishing Follow Your Dreams & Follow Your Path

Have you ever been told your head-hopping is a problem, and you just can’t understand why? You like the way your prose reads and don’t...

Don’t Look Now, But Your Book is Being Judged By Its Cover. And that includes both the front and back.

No matter where you live on this Earth, I imagine your world is somewhat different from what it was a year ago, and also somewhat different from those who live elsewhere, whether they live in the next town over or in another country. However, time and location are not the only things that make up the world around us. Yet, for many writers, when they hear the words “world building” in reference to writing, they immediately think that aspect only applies to fantasy or science f

Avoid Those Small Leaks Because They Ultimately Lead to Major Cracks Ever read a story that had tiny leaks in its plotline? Those...

Oh, the visuals! Now, some of you may have heard me talk about this before, but visuals are more important than you can imagine. Without...

So, here we are at the end of the series, ready to broach the subject of that third path to publishing. The most recent spice added to...

I see post after post on various Facebook pages discussing traditional publishing versus self-publishing, but no one talks about the indepen

As Bob Dylan told us way back in the early sixties, “the times they are a-changin’” and boy are they ever. We’re in the 21st century now, a

Many of the aspiring authors I run into have done little research in the area of publishing. If you ask me, I’d say this is because they are

How about all three. After all, a legend is a story that typically includes an element of truth. It’s based on historical facts, but with my

Have you been told your characters are one or two-dimensional? Perhaps you’re having trouble weaving your character arc or connecting those

Daily, I hear writers gripe about self-editing. You just don’t want to do it. And why is that? Because you’re looking at self-editing through an ugly mask. But if you peel away just one layer of that mask at a time and look at the true face of self-editing, you just might start looking forward to it. Really!

How important is pacing? Probably more than you realize. Poor pacing can easily send your book to the donate pile. Or worse, the garbage pil