Improve Your Writing

The real reason writing groups sometimes fail us has nothing to do with the lovely people in them. The failure is due to a mismatch between what you need and what the group offers.

A story intro that shows internal trouble, signaling the beginning of a character arc, makes agents and editors sit up and take notice.

Flashback is a powerful tool for weaving in important backstory—but as with any power tool, using it well requires knowledge and care.

Children aren’t miniature grownups. When writing a story with a child character, take time to really listen to how kids of that age talk.

Setting an idea or draft aside for “percolation” allows the brain’s subconscious to arrive at insights while we’re busy with something else.

To survive and be happy in a creative career, focus on WHAT you’re doing and WHY—and have faith that everything will work out in due time.

For horror writers, here are some ways to frighten a reader so badly that they text someone at midnight saying, “You have to read this!”

What makes a memoir suitable for YA or middle-grade readers isn’t shying away from tough topics but approaching them with a child’s eyes.

It’s difficult yet important to develop enough confidence in your work that you’re not sunk every time someone dislikes it and says so.

Writing sustainably about trauma requires practicing moderation, focusing on meaning, and working in ways that limit your exposure.

Defining your why, who, what, and how is the start of writing a powerful thought leadership book that conveys your vision and impacts lives.

For freelancers, forgoing social media can mean giving up crucial visibility. But it can also provide time to focus on being a better writer.

If you’ve been seeking external solutions to your writing problems, these internal shifts might have a more profound effect on your progress.

Writing about trauma isn’t like ripping off a Band-Aid. Here are some strategies for assessing whether you’re ready and proceeding gently.

Imbuing a character’s story with your own life experience—the good, bad, ugly and transformational—unleashes your book’s full emotional power.

One key to compelling fiction is in how details are conveyed. Not everything warrants description—only details that matter to the character.

When an author’s death leaves a manuscript unfinished, her husband tries to put together the pieces and complete the book.

Cause and effect plotting is every bit as important to literary fiction as to genre fiction or thriller; it’s just expressed in subtler ways.

One author shares how creation of a daily writing routine has made all the difference in attaining her goals.

When writers seek to humanize and bring their characters to life, they often fall into the “daily routine trap": they overexplain the daily or mundane actions of their characters.

Instead of resolving to make a big change in your habits, think of one small thing to do to support your writing in the new year.

What’s the difference between a story and a narrative that merely relates a series of events? The protagonist’s internal struggle.

Receiving an R&R is good news, and a great opportunity to show agents or editors your revising skills and how you accept feedback.

Perfectionism—the fear of risking failure—is anathema to the writing process, but can be overcome by establishing a different mindset.

Applying craft techniques—like complexity and telling details—is crucial to bringing our parents, and their humanity, to life on the page.