writing description

12 Tips for Improving Your Description

Think in terms of "telling details": details that let the reader see your characters while also revealing something about their minds.
rank me

The Question I Hate the Most

It’s the question I dislike the most from writers, and that I try to avoid answering—because it lays a terrible burden on me.
When Writers Err Too Heavily on the Side of Drama and Conflict

When Writers Err Too Heavily on the Side of Drama and Conflict

Much of writing advice boils down to: add more conflict. But don't forget how happy lives can involve compromise and complication as well.
Nesting dolls opened, revealing the smallest doll in the center

Writing Suspenseful Fiction: Reveal Answers Slowly

Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland explains how to implement the slow reveal to add suspense to your writing.
How to Use a Plot Planner

How to Use a Plot Planner

A plot planner enables you to keep the larger picture of your story in full view as you concentrate on writing individual scenes.
Foggy Trees

Why Writers Should Consider the Habits of the Flâneur

The advantages of walking are well-known and long-heralded. Likewise delightful, the urban perambulatory habits of the flâneur. Less heralded perhaps are the practical creative benefits of stretching one’s legs with neither exercise nor aimlessless in mind.
Roxana Robinson

Write Toward Your Unspecified Anxieties

Write about the things you can't forget, the things that keep you up at night.
writing a love scene

How to Write a Great (and Not Schmaltzy) Love Scene

For a love scene to move readers, it must embody the principle of restraint—in dialogue, in description, and in the characters’ actions.
David Mizner

Writing Fiction: Does It Feel Indulgent?

In the literary fiction world, it's often taken as an article of faith that writing is an intrinsically important activity to be engaged in. Is it?
Newspaper title lines ripped from the newspaper

A Warning About Writing Novels That Ride the News Cycle

Thriller author Todd Moss discusses the pitfalls of using current events as the basis for a novel.
Gabe Herron

You Can’t Rush Your Development

A couple weeks ago, I advised young writers to have patience—with themselves, with the publishing process, and with their development.
A banana peel made to resemble a face, with sunglasses added for eyes.

Comedy Writing’s Top Secret

The first secret of comedy writing is perhaps its most important.
Writing Advice for Children and Teens

Writing Advice for Children and Teens

What young people need to know about writing and publishing.
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How to Find and Work with Beta Readers to Improve Your Book

Editor and writing coach Kristen Kieffer discusses how to get the best out of a beta-reader experience.
A view from Bake Oven Knob.

Details Help Writers Overcome Their Fear

Memoirist Benjamin Vogt discusses how evoking sensory details in writing can banish a writer's fears.
A time-lapse photo of peopl milling about an interior with stairs and an escalator.

How Writers Can Craft an Effective Setting

Setting is often an afterthought when writing a scene, but it can affect characterization, tension, pacing—and more. Bestselling author Mary Buckham shows how to create effective descriptions for any type of narrative.
Anthony DeCasper

What Does It Mean to Read Like a Writer?

Learn what it means to see and read the world in terms of narrative design.
The secret to my productivity

The Secret to My Productivity, Or: Thoughts About Luxury and Privilege

I'm often asked: How can I be so productive? Or how does one balance creative work and other life demands? Here's the most truthful answer I have.
Melanie Bishop

The Sussman Productivity Method

For every 45 minutes that you write, do 15 minutes of something else. But there's one catch.
A red stylized rocket with neon rings around it

The Big Reason Why Agents and Editors Often Stop Reading

Agent Paula Munier explains how to imbue your writing with narrative thrust to keep your readers turning the pages.
A portrait of Heather Hale with the quote: "Some writing is therapy. And probably doesn't ever need to be read by anyone but you."

5 On: Heather Hale

Heather Hale discusses the top five mistakes screenwriters make, the usefulness of online script databases, and how to approach a first screenwriting contract.
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The Fatal Flaw in Weak Descriptions

Author and editor Rachel Starr Thomson explains how to use descriptive detail to illuminate character and move plot forward.
A sign reading "Entrance" and pointing downward.

Magazine Writing: How to Break In at the Very Top

Writer and editor Zachary Petit discusses breaking into the freelance market with big-name publications.
Man taking photo of himself while others take photos of each other in the background

The Basics of Point of View for Fiction Writers

Writer Joseph Bates explains all the point-of-view options for your novel and how to choose the best point of view for your narrative.
writing for television

So You Want to Write for Television?

Author and TV industry vet Greg White offers insight on how to write for television if you're a beginner.
Conquering the Myths of the Writing Life

Conquering the Myths of the Writing Life

Fiction writer Douglas W. Millikin offers an honest and insightful essay about the biggest myths writers face about their profession.
a top-down view of a spiral staircase with red bannister

Crafting a Compelling Novel Concept

Larry Brooks discusses how to create a concept for your novel that will compel readers (and agents and publishers) to read more.
A colorful image of the brain as a collection of photographs

5 Reasons You’re Experiencing Writer’s Block

Editor and writing coach Susan Reynolds explains some of the common causes of writer's block and offers some techniques for beating it.
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The Feel of Real: Researching a Novel

In today's guest post, author Maggie Kast (@tweenworlds) discusses the role research plays in the development and evolution of a historical novel.
Photograph of a judge's gavel on a desk with some paperwork

Using Newbie Attorneys in Your Fiction

Attorney and author Karen A. Wyle offers insight into using new attorneys in your fiction.
Write Brain Workbook by Bonnie Neubauer

Strengthening Your Creativity Muscles: Q&A with Bonnie Neubauer

In this interview, Bonnie Neubauer, author of The Write-Brain Workbook discusses her own creativity practices and goals, her favorite means of gathering writing prompts, and myths about creativity.
David James Poissant

How to Balance Your (Writing) Life: A Guide for the Perplexed

Writers may desire advice on how to better balance their writing lives and be productive, but few prescriptives are one size fits all.
Time Shift

How to Effectively Handle Time Shifts in Your Story

Author Lisa Lenard-Cook explains when and how to use time shifts to heighten the emotional impact of your story.
Taking the Risk to Write Deeply About Your Family History

Taking the Risk to Write Deeply About Your Family History

Poet and memoirist Benjamin Vogt discusses his own personal journey to learn his family's history.
Several water drops hitting a pond surface, resulting in circular ripples

The Fundamentals of Writing a Scene

Martha Alderson and Jordan Rosenfeld explain how to craft a compelling scene and when it's okay to use summary.
A pink pencil with pink lead has a broken tip. By Hernán Piñera via Flickr.

2 Stammer Verbs to Avoid in Your Fiction

Editor Jessi Rita Hoffman warns against the use of "stammer verbs," words that cause an unnecessary halt in the scene.
Carmiel Banasky

Learning to Practice Self-Care as Writers

How do you balance work on your art with work on yourself?
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When Structure Sets You Free

Essayist and professor Nell Boeschenstein discusses how establishing structure can liberate your writing.
A small figurine stepping on a keyboard by KayVee.INC, via Flickr

How Outlining Can Bring Out Voice

Editor Gabriela Lessa explains how to use outlining to generate a strong voice for your characters.
how to find and choose an editor

How to Find an Editor as a Self-Published Author

Indie author Teymour Shahabi explains how to find an editor for the draft of your self-published book and what to look for in a good editing relationship.
memory and memoir

Using the Fallacy of Memory to Create Effective Memoir

Understand the 7 sins of memory, and how to use these sins to convey greater meaning and truth in your stories.
A variety of pens by Maureen McLaughlin | via Flickr

Spellbinding Sentences: 3 Qualities of Masterful Word Choice

Author Barbara Baig discusses word choice and how it affects tone, voice, and clarity.
Close-up of feet on a tightrope

Balancing Dialogue and Description in Your Story

Alex Limberg discusses attaining the perfect balance between dialogue and description in your fiction.
Samsun Knight

What It Means to Write Realistic Dialogue

If you want to write realistic dialogue, resist the temptation to follow a very logical "call and response" structure.
Self Publishing Distribution to Libraries

How Self-Published Authors Can Distribute to Libraries

Journalist and consultant Porter Anderson explains the new SELF-e program from Library Journal for getting self-published ebooks into American libraries.
Danger of writing groups

The 4 Hidden Dangers of Writing Groups

Writing groups can cause fatal frustration, deep self-doubt, and sometimes years of wasted effort. Learn the most common dangers of writing groups, and find out how to improve your group to give you more of what you need—and less of what you don't.
photo by Anas Ahmad / via Flickr

Writing About Guns: 10 Errors to Avoid in Your Novel

You’ll find common myths and misconceptions about guns in thrillers, mysteries, and crime fiction. These tropes are easy to trip over, so avoiding them will help your credibility.
Clapperboard

How to Sell Your Screenplay (for Absolute Beginners)

Wondering how to sell your screenplay? Learn the most common paths to production for a first-time screenwriter.
photo of pencils and sharpener by Dyfnaint via Flickr

How to Find the Right Critique Group or Partner for You

Brooke McIntyre of Inked Voices explains what to look for in a critique group and how to find the best writing critique group for you.
Image of pen and pencil inside journal by rafaelsoares, via Flickr

To Outline or Not to Outline Your Novel

Blogger Tania Strauss of NY Book Editors discusses whether you should outline your novel before beginning to write.