Guest Post

Image: a little girl sits on the lap of a woman, reading a picture book together.

The Surprising Complexity of Picture Books

Protagonist, antagonist, rising and falling action, arc of change, emotion—all must be developed in a picture book, and in under 500 words.
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When It Lights Up–and When It Doesn’t

It’s an artist’s job to trust that deep satisfaction from our creative work arrives by keeping at it even when we feel stuck.
Image: the pages of an open book, showing a variety of design elements such as standard and italicized text, pagination, and special insets.

Should You Hire a Professional Designer for Your Book Interior?

Even if you decide to design and format your own book, it’s important to be aware of fundamental elements of book composition.
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What If You’re Writing Novellas? Now What?

When publishers and agents show no interest in novellas, contests might be a more reliable path to publication.
Image: an illustration of a young woman sitting atop a stack of giant books, typing at a laptop computer, while around her head float an array of icons that represent her dreams and aspirations of academic success, winnings prizes, and professional credentials.

What the MFA Does and Does Not Do for Aspiring Novelists

The director of an MFA program wrestles with how to make it a more useful degree for aspiring commercial novelists.
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Create Compelling Suspense and Tension No Matter What’s Happening in Your Story

Triumphs are most compelling when the hero has to fight for them, so even quiet stories need plenty of obstacles, challenges, and uncertainties.
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In Defense of Giving Up

Becoming a mother was the motivation one freelance writer needed to abandon the toxic hustle culture by which she defined “success”.
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Writing the Author’s Note for a Novel

An Author’s Note can be the most direct way to communicate your book’s themes to editors, marketers, librarians, teachers, and readers.
Image: tarot cards arranged face down in straight rows, except for the Ace of Swords and 2 of Swords which are turned face up.

5 Myths About Tarot That Storytellers Should Know

Like love and creativity, the best things in life are intangible. It’s the same with intuition, which the tarot helps us access and develop.
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My NaNoWriMo Was a Train Wreck

One author discovers that when it comes to heavily-researched historical fiction, one’s ducks should be in a row before tackling NaNoWriMo.
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Doubting Yourself Is Not Failing

We do not live without a persistent undercurrent of questions, both tiny and tremendous. Doubt is part of us, so let us make peace with it.
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The Human-Interest Approach: Focusing on People to Convey Facts

Academics or experts writing for a broader audience than peers should consider framing complex facts through a personal lens.
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5 Things Painting the Bathroom Reminded Me about Writing a Novel

There will absolutely be tape lines to adjust and plot questions to answer along the way, so don’t let the prep prevent messy progress.
Image: against a black background, a hen egg is seen cracked in two, revealing that the former resident had been making hash marks inside the shell to count down the days until breaking free.

Breaking Point, Back Story, Resolution: A Three-Part Structure for Memoir

Memoir can benefit from starting at the moment that change became inevitable, then explaining what came before and what followed.
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Why the Best Life Lessons Are Writing Lessons, Too

Whether in life or publishing, when faced with setbacks it’s important to stay present and find joy in the small triumphs.
Image: modern sculpture of the rabbit from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland holding a gold watch, on the grounds of the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus, Switzerland.

Forget the First Line. Focus on First Pages.

Worry less about creating a first sentence that will shock and awe, and more about drawing readers into the story one link of the chain at a time.
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Why Everyone Should Keep an Authority List

What does an average person like me have to say? If you ever find yourself thinking that way, make a list of subjects you know inside and out.
Illustration of a man pushing a wheelbarrow in the form of a book which is stacked full of thought balloons.

Where Do the Stories Come From?

Nonfiction writers have to decide where to collect their stories and how much to rely on their personal experience.
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5 Plot Hacks That Just Might Save Your Novel

Struggling with the plot of your current work-in-progress? Maybe one of these tried and true solutions will do the trick for you.
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3 Bad Ideas for More Creative Writing

Next time you feel stuck, abandoning perfection and embracing bad ideas might be just the trick for breaking out of a creative slump.
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Murky Middles Begone: Ensure the Middle of Your Book Stands Strong

It's easier to write beginnings and endings but often the middle is left sagging—not out of the lack of skill or care, but out of confusion.
Image: headshot of Christine M. Larson with pull-quote, "If you are a creative or independent worker, you need a community if to be treated fairly. But if you want community, you and your group have to treat everyone in it fairly."

Romance Authors Thrive in the Self-Publishing Era​

Christine Larson, author of Love in the Time of Self-Publishing, talks about the genre’s struggle with diversity, and how writers earn a living.
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How to Handle Memory Gaps in Your Memoir

Here are three techniques to help you write about an event when your memories of it are scattered, shattered, or gone.
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How to Outline a Gothic Novel

Spooky season is the perfect time to write that Gothic fiction tale you've been brewing. Learn the key genre conventions and how to outline your story.
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On Writing and Shame

One author examines the fear that accompanies publication—that a perceived flaw in the work, or herself, could cause embarrassment and shame.