Guest Post

A little preparation—noting environmental details, character moods and motivations—will make a big difference in the way your scenes unfold.

Many successful authors maintain side writing careers, in less glamorous forms such as grant writing, copywriting, and ghostwriting.

“Making a scene” in public often happens spontaneously, but creating emotionally compelling scenes on paper requires considerable planning.

One author’s tips for performing your stories in front of a live audience.

Your novel’s external and internal parts must be intricately woven together to create a work that truly resonates with readers.

One of the best ways an author can learn their own storytelling craft lies in what we already avidly do: take in other creators’ stories.

Tips for avoiding stereotypes and tokenism, and presenting more interesting, complex, three-dimensional queer characters.

Providing feedback to every pitch would leave agents no time for their existing clients. Instead, check your own first pages for weak spots.

Beta reading for others can be a creative education. Lean into that, and your future books will be all the better for it.

As in any industry, business ethics are about a commitment to transparency and integrity. Here’s how writers can select a trustworthy partner.

Seeking blurbs—quotes and endorsements—is a task that most writers absolutely hate. Here are some tips that can get you closer to a yes.

Not all hybrid and paid-for publishers are the same, and picking the right option depends on every author’s own thorough self-assessment.

Thinking creatively about book events might allow you to align the things you care about with the time you spend on promotion.

Dedicated and even obsessive engagement with another creator’s work can open unexpected doors for your own writing.

Does my story matter? Is it good enough? They’re questions every writer asks, and the way to answer them is to connect to your why.

The early part of your memoir should reveal the short list of narrator flaws and problems you’ll resolve by the end of your book.

In times of sickness, cultural upheaval, and real existential threats, perhaps stories matter more than ever.

The pages of your journal can be a time machine, transporting you from the here and now to snapshots of your internal world, over the years.

Your book’s ending must reveal the story’s resolution. Once you know what you’re resolving, you can establish a clear path for getting there.

By spending as much (or more) time weaving a dynamic Story as you do creating a flashy Plot, readers will walk away feeling satisfied.

Here are some of the many ways that a journaling practice can serve as a laboratory for your writing, and your life.

One professor addresses common questions and criticisms about MFA programs.

Brooke Warner, founder of She Writes Press, responds to a recent UK report about unethical practices in the hybrid publishing realm.

Not only can a journaling practice sustain and inspire your writing projects—a commitment to it can inform and improve your entire life.

A social media following doesn’t guarantee sales. Building an audience that’s engaged with your work—your mission—requires more varied tools.