Should MFA Programs Teach the Business of Writing?
Here are the most common arguments against teaching the business of writing in an MFA program—and why such arguments are flawed.
Should I Hire a Coach Or a Therapist?
Both writing coaches and therapists dig deep, listen attentively, and meet regularly. But hiring one versus the other depends on your goals.
The Secret Ingredient of a Commercially Successful Novel
Masterful writers keep their readers in a constant state of tension. How to get tension on every page? By focusing on microtension.
The Importance of Curiosity and Tension to Storytelling
What makes readers open a book and keep turning the pages? In part, curiosity and tension.
Going the Wrong Kind of Viral: Q&A with Andrea Askowitz
The author and podcaster discusses what she learned from going the wrong kind of viral, the power of vulnerable truth in writing, and more.
Starting Your Novel With Plot: 3 Strengths and 3 Challenges
Writers focused on plot are often strong when it comes to world-building and “big ideas,” but there are inherent challenges as well.
Find Your Topic, Not Your Voice
Developing voice is important, but finding a topic that excites you—and others—could be a better first step for a new writer.
The Art of the Moment Memoir
There are many kinds of memoir, with one thing in common: their authors must ultimately possess the ability to artfully render the moment.
The Most Significant Choice Of Your Writing Career
This choice has nothing to do with the act of writing, but everything to do with how you talk to yourself about your vocation.
Are Fictional Characters Protected Under Copyright Law?
Copyright law is written to protect stories, not characters, but over time the law on character protection has evolved.
The Peer Review Process: What Sets University Presses Apart
During peer review, expert scholars evaluate your proposal. Their suggestions can improve your book if you synthesize them thoughtfully.
Post Book Launch Depression Is a Thing
Publishing a book can be an exciting prospect which often ends in anticlimax. One indie author examines the emotional roller-coaster.
Where My Money Comes From
A look at how the sources of my income shifted between 2016–2020, with online teaching now earning the lion's share.
Writing From the Spinster’s Perspective: Q&A with Donna Ward
Donna Ward is an Australian writer whose first book, She I Dare Not Name, has just been published in the US.
The (Copyright) Trouble with NFTs
Hype aside, an NFT is not equivalent to registering a digital work with the Copyright Office—and it's no barrier to unlawful reproduction.
How to Develop a Marketing and Promotion Plan as an Indie Author
Self-publishing offers so many paths and options that it can seem intimidating. One debut novelist shares her journey, with valuable tips.
Starting Your Novel With Character: 3 Strengths and 3 Challenges
Fiction writers who start with character, as opposed to plot or theme, have certain advantages—and certain challenges.
How to Be a Great Podcast Guest: A Guide for Authors
Learning these basic skills will help you relax, enjoy the conversation, and hopefully turn a podcast’s audience into yours as well.
I’m Selling Books on TikTok, No Dancing (or Crying) Required
TikTok has evolved into an entertainment and educational hub, with a remarkably engaged community of book buyers.
You Can’t Sell an Idea
Ideas are a dime a dozen. What matters is expressing an idea in ways that are unique to the artist and specific to the time and culture.
The Alchemy of Emotion: 6 Key Strategies for Emotionally Affecting Fiction
To create the alchemical magic of emotion in your fiction, you need to approach the challenge from more than one angle.
Strained Brain? How to Stoke Your Mental Fire
It’s impossible to fire on all cylinders all the time, so dedicate some of your writing time to stoke the flames of creativity.
What Writers Can Learn from Runners
The most useful work is that which tests our limits and forces us to write something we didn’t realize we were capable of producing.
Writers: Ask for What You Want
Your community might be all too willing to help promote your book. The hard part is overcoming the fear of asking.
Don’t Tease Your Reader. Get to the Tension and Keep It Rising
If you write knowing how the story will end, you’ll deprive readers of the tension that comes from putting obstacles in your characters’ way.
How to Get Your First Freelance Byline (and Why Even Fiction Writers Should Freelance)
Freelance writing—even for little or no pay—offers a low-stakes way to gain publication credit, hone your skills, and raise your visibility.
Deepen Characterization by Mining Your Own Reactions
Paying attention to your own visceral reactions and thoughts can help you create richly developed characters who leap off the page.
Why Your Memoir Also Needs the Good and “Normal” Times
Showing the moments of normalcy brings the reader more fully into your life, and heightens the drama when traumatic events occur.
How Much Do Authors Earn? Here’s the Answer No One Likes.
What you earn is about what business model you can envision or build for yourself and whether it's sustainable for you over the long term.
Your Final Responsibility to Your Story: Creative Stewardship
When you’ve finished your story, it’s time to step into a stewardship role to place it in the best position to connect with readers.
To Write a Better Memoir, Learn This F-Word
True forgiveness can take years to achieve. That’s why memoirs take longer to write than novels. But it’s worth the effort.
Overcoming Writer’s Block Brought On By Childhood Trauma: Q&A with Marc Jampole
The poet and author discusses writing through trauma, his novel’s path to publication, adjusting details to suit a higher truth, and more.
How to Find Compelling Comps for Your Book
Identifying comparable titles helps agents and publishers understand where your book fits in the market and who your most likely readers are.
The New Holy Grail of Traditional Publishers: Direct-to-Reader Relationships
Building direct-to-reader relationships may help publishers shift the balance of power in a game where Amazon holds most of the cards.
4 Voices That Can Help (or Hinder) Your Memoir
In writing memoir, internal voices—with competing interests—can emerge to inform the narrative. A rounded story is careful to balance them all.
When I Decided to Write My Own Story—And Not Someone Else’s
One author struggles to prioritize between major writing projects when time and energy are limited.
What If It Takes 12 Years to Get an Agent?
What keeps many writers from a book deal isn’t a polished manuscript or proposal. It’s a sense of the publishing landscape as it really is.
3 Key Tactics for Crafting Powerful Scenes
When placed intentionally, crafted well, and set up via emotional context and backstory, scene might be the writer’s most powerful tool.
How the Pandemic Is Affecting Book Publishing
The dramatic shifts to online sales makes it critical that publishers and authors adjust marketing strategies and build new skill sets.
Which Comes First: Character or Plot?
Without insight into how your characters will react in even the most mundane of circumstances, you aren’t ready to plan or pants your plot.
How to Turn a Microsoft Word Document Into an Ebook (EPUB)
Word doesn't export to EPUB, but you can still produce an editable file quickly, without buying software or using a "meatgrinder" conversion.
A Debut Novelist in a Pandemic: How to Navigate a Launch Through Social Media
When the pandemic thwarted a debut author’s launch plans, she had no choice but to jump into the deep end of social media.
Hybrid Publishing: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know
Hybrid publishing is like hiring a contractor: You pay them to oversee the design and construction and, when it’s done, you own the result.
What Every Writer Needs to Know About Email Newsletters (They’re Not Going Away)
Even a small email list is better than no list at all, because it likely represents your most devoted, true fans.
How to Get Accepted by a Writing Mentorship Program
Mentorship programs are a popular way to gain knowledge and exposure, but as their popularity has risen the competition has gotten tougher.
Sometimes Better Than Blogging: Guest Blogging
Guest blogging allows you to leverage someone else’s existing audience as a way to reach new readers and grow your own audience.
Finding Your Way to the End
Given that many of us sidestep endings in real life, it should not be surprising that writers have trouble concluding book projects.
3 Common Pitfalls When Writing From Your Own Life
Factual details can be great fuel for your writing, but it’s crucial to recognize when adherence to them is getting in the way of the story.
Beware of Chapter-by-Chapter Book Critiques
Misguided feedback, which can damage your manuscript, often arises from a common mistake: asking the right question of the wrong person.
The Green-Eyed Monster: Jealousy in the Time of Quarantine
Despite our best efforts, artistic jealousy affects us all at times. But how we perceive another’s success is never the whole picture.