Guest Post

When we’re dealt life-altering circumstances, how do we stay true to creative ambitions while finding a whole new way of existing?

Your writing might soar to new heights when you make weather—and the words describing it—an important element in your characters’ lives.

Along with sex and death, money is a topic with evergreen appeal. So when you write about money, you put the odds of a breakout on your side.

Some writers struggle with ever getting one word of their Great Idea down on the page, for fear of crafting an imperfect beginning.

In an excerpt from her new book on cover design, Jessica Bell offers tips regarding how to utilize space and color for maximum effect.

Some writers can finish a book all by themselves, but even more of them have support systems, deadlines, teachers, exercises, instructions and help.

To write something that connects on a universal level, concentrate on specifics. Small truths are easier for readers to identify with.

When a Vermont author’s book was accepted by a New Mexico university press, she decided to ask its editors about the acquisitions process.

It’s possible to create connections with readers by utilizing some fun and interesting ways for them to interact with your book.

An elaborately structured plot, without clearly-defined character goals and motivations, is like mapping a trip and calling it a vacation.

A successful nonfiction book proposal addresses market demand and cements the writer’s authority throughout the entire document.

Shifting from memoir to fiction allows painful memories to be expressed, while sharing the hard-won wisdom we’ve gained through experience.

Subtext, the real conversation hidden by surface talk, can deepen the story with unpredictable outcomes and emotion.

It takes grit to seek and implement qualified feedback, and to keep finding ways to improve a manuscript even after you’ve given it your all.

The Toronto-based novelist discusses his journey from self- to traditional publishing, marketing, the art and business of writing, and more.

If you’d like to see your work in national publications—and get paid—tailor your essay to smoothly fit their voice and mission.

A half-hour’s writing might yield only 500, 300, even a mere 100 words. But a half-hour’s writing over 7 or 8 months: a book’s worth of words.

Anticipation—“Will it happen or won’t it?”—keeps readers on edge, and we can make use of their need to know by building scenes that cater to it.

Why one freelancer believes that spending too much time at a computer holds writers back from producing their best work.

As writers, we often cling to certain myths that suck up emotional energy and reinforce practices that undermine the creative process.

When writing a prescriptive nonfiction book, anticipating doubts and objections lets your readers feel seen and keeps them on the page.

Skillful authors weave suspense and tension to draw readers through stories on a taut thread of unanswered questions and constant frictions.

Focusing on your “just right” reader—instead of trying to convey everything that every reader might need to know—can help combat overwhelm.

What’s between scenes is like mortar—necessary for your story’s structure, but not significant—and well handled using summary and spacers.

The author of “weird fiction” discusses why writers should never wait for permission, and the value of reading and writing for entertainment.