Tips for writing in the Young Adult voice
Author Alessandra discusses best practices for writing in the Young Adult voice with YA fiction author and ghostwriter Morgan Bader.
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Examples of narrative arcs in modern fiction
Do novels share certain storytelling patterns? An A.I. has determined that most best-sellers use one of seven universal plot archetypes.
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Writing mistakes to avoid in your novel
Book editor Susan Barnes reveals the most common missteps that authors make. These mistakes can cause poor reviews, lost sales, and readers abandoning your novel midway through. In this half-hour event, Susan teaches how to avoid common pitfalls and what to watch our for when you’re writing and rewriting a draft.
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Is your romance novel too steamy?
Romance novels often get a bad reputation as being nothing more than tawdry scenes linked to each other by a cookie cutter plot. But as any romance reader knows, sex is just one portion of a beautiful and intricate romance novel. And in some romance novels, sex is missing altogether from the pages. In our […]
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Writing about guns? Get your ammunition right
How to make sure your fictional firearms don’t jam Part two of a two-part series. See part one: The right way to write about guns in novels Rounds, cartridges, shells or bullets? In this article I’ve been scrupulous about referring to “rounds” when I mean the things you load into your firearm and “bullets” when […]
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The right way to write about guns in novels
A farewell to firearms mistakes: How to get the details correct in scenes with guns First of a two-part series. Also see Part two: Writing about guns? Get your ammunition right See that handgun on your writing desk? There. Just to the right of your keyboard. Go on, pick it up. Heavy, isn’t it? Surprisingly […]
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How to become a more prolific writer
As a writer, have you ever achieved flow state – that feeling when words flow like water? Author Chris Fox explains how he writes 5,000 words an hour in this interactive chat.
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Improving your first page
If done right, a novel’s first page can be a powerful ally to generate sales. On the other side of that coin, your first page can be a powerful deterrant for readers if it misses its mark. So, how do you make sure that your first page, or first scene, captures the readers’ attention and […]
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Should you outline your novel or not?
Using a synopsis as a shortcut will give heft to your story A large question when one is starting a new novel is whether or not to outline the plot, the characters, and all the characters’ actions. That is, to have a clear idea of its “arc”– its beginning, middle, and end, which will tell […]
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The storytelling secrets of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’
I like to take inspiration for storytelling from all kinds of sources, not just books. Movies, paintings, dog walks: They can all spark an idea or solve a narrative problem giving me grief. But TV is often a bust. The need to sell advertising or hook viewers into an unending multi-series show often corrupts the […]
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How to use setting in your fiction writing
Location is everything, as the saying goes. But is this true in your novel? On our most recent First Draft Friday, we invited bestselling author Maria Luis onto the set to talk about how to use setting in your novel. Maria has a colorful history. Before becoming a novelist, she wrote scripts for tour companies […]
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Self-editing tips from a bestselling author
On the lastest First Draft Friday, we brought in bestselling romance author Penny Reid to share the to-do list that she moves through when performing a self-edit of her manuscript.
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