Articles in our Writing Advice Column
Advance Your Career by Creating Story Folders by Karen S. Wiesner Based on Bring Your Fiction to Life: Crafting Three-Dimensional Stories with Depth and Complexity and CPR for Dead or Lifeless Fiction {A Writer’s Guide…
Advice for New Authors From Karen S. Wiesner First, I don’t believe there are absolutes in writing. There are so many writing trends, no-no’s, and must-do’s. I admit I find most of them…
Arrested Development by Karen S. Wiesner Based on Bring Your Fiction to Life: Crafting Three-Dimensional Stories with Depth and Complexity and CPR for Dead or Lifeless Fiction {A Writer’s Guide to Deep and Multifaceted Development…
AVOID A SAGGING MIDDLE By DEE LLOYD No middle should sag. The dragging, sagging pace of the middle of a romance is every bit as unattractive as the lax muscles of a person’s…
AVOID REJECTION… AN EDITOR’S CHECK LIST By DEE LLOYD During my six years as Acquisitions Editor for the now-defunct LTDBooks I must have read several thousand submissions. Many of the manuscripts I reluctantly had to…
Beyond Villains –Addressing Antagonists in Detail By Will Greenway ‘Villain’ is a dated term. It brings to mind a particular kind of bad guy that has become kind of a toothless foil in both the…
JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS BACK COVER BLURB by Karen Wiesner Fact 1: Readers judge books by their back cover blurbs just as they might a cover. Fact 2: Authors and publishers want…
Crafting Blurbs Overview by Karen Wiesner Back Cover Blurbs A back cover blurb can be anywhere from one to four paragraphs. If the whole package is short and punchy, as we’ve said, it’s practically…
Holidays and special seasons have a timeless allure, sparking joy, nostalgia, and anticipation in readers. If you’ve already explored the emotional depth of holiday and seasonal stories, it’s time to delve into fresh aspects…
Deep, Multi-Faceted Development and Progression of Romantic Relationships By Karen S. Wiesner Based on CPR for Dead or Lifeless Fiction {A Writer’s Guide to Deep and Multifaceted Development and Progression of Characters, Plot, and…
Choosing a Setting: Real or Fiction By Deborah Nolan It’s been said that location is another character in a story. I think that’s true if the setting is described well enough and with…
Starting a book from scratch can be an exciting but daunting process. The thought of creating an entire world and bringing characters to life can be overwhelming, but with the right approach and mindset,…
Dynamic Beginnings (1 of 2) By Will Greenway The opening of your novel or short story is crucial. It must be well written, catchy, and evocative. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your opening…
Are you writing police mysteries thrillers? Want to get it right? I do, too, though I may have an advantage, having been a police officer for 30 years. Although the home setting for my books…
Scene business, style, and dialogue By Will Greenway Viewpoint is one the most important aspects of writing. It is the eye through which readers see your work. Creating a strong viewpoint “presence” within your story…
Stories have long been one of the most effective ways to teach values, shape character, and instill morals in children. Through the experiences of fictional characters and the worlds they inhabit, young readers learn about…
The Stuff Series Are Made Of By Karen S. Wiesner “The disease of writing is dangerous and contagious,” Abelard famously said to Heloise. So, too, can a book series become a relentless obsession: It’s…
In the enchanted realms of paranormal fiction, where ghosts whisper secrets and werewolves prowl beneath the moon’s glow, dialogue serves as the invisible tether that binds readers to the otherworldly narrative. Beyond mere conversation,…
WHERE DO WE FIND OUR HEROES? By Deborah Nolan With Valentine’s Day on the horizon I thought it would be a good time to talk about what makes a romantic hero. The heroes in…
Writing: World Building, not just for genre writers By Will Greenway Overview When we see the term “world building”, many writers tend to associate this concept with genre fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, and often…
