Guest Post

There’s no one-size-fits-all way to structure a story, so understanding the core principles will help you decide what’s right for yours.

One author reflects on how her desire to not just outsource marketing, but to outsource even thinking about it, led to regrettable results.

Making the leap from short online articles to longer, narrative work brought one writer into contact with a new challenge: being truly edited.

By observing our own species through the eyes of another, something new just might be revealed to us.

The first question is often some version of “What happened to me?” Understanding it helps craft a story that speaks to your readers’ needs.

If you’re overwhelmed by the volume of accumulated words after months or years of generating new material, here’s how to tame and shape them.

One book coach wondered whether an AI tool, trained on his own archive of advice, could answer authors’ questions as well as he could.

Stories are like trains: a connected chain of main events (railcars) and transitions (couplings), with very little stopping at platforms.

Writing outside our lived experience isn’t just about getting facts right—it’s also about learning who we are when we truly listen to others.

One writer explains why you shouldn’t necessarily get feedback on your first draft—and what you should do instead.

Your story’s tone and content don’t have to match—and when they don’t, they can combine to create something greater than their sum.

Learning from others and practicing patience while navigating the publishing industry led to a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

While in pursuit of our writing goals, the serendipitous experiences along the way might be just as meaningful as landing the big fish.

A successful story unfurls in a way that both keeps readers grounded and keeps them guessing—so withhold information, but not context.

Writing is an act of exposure, especially when it’s about something personal, political, and dangerous. But we write anyway.

Improv is about being in the moment, and showed one author how to let go, listen better, take risks, and move on when something doesn’t work.

Small bits of action—descending the stairs, cleaning off the car—might not be insignificant if they tell something about a character’s world.

A publicist can be an invaluable part of your launch team when your book is published, but it’s also possible to do it on your own.

One writer explores how women will rationalize away feelings of unease for the sake of pleasing others, and how we express that on the page.

To encourage transparency among creators and audience, one writer suggests a simple, two-category system for labeling AI use in works of art.

A memoirist who began writing with the goal of helping others was surprised by how the process healed old wounds and reframed her self-image.

If you’re hearing that your story lacks structure or impact, you might be missing the interconnected cohesion of plot, stakes, and character.

Needing to build audience for a new book, one author examines her avoidance of creating video content in favor of face-to-face connections.

This excerpt from Nina Amir’s Change the World One Book at a Time examines how nonfiction authors can best effect change in readers.

A social media manager shares her observations on how current trends might impact authors and publishers in 2026.