by David Gittlin Most serious writers want to connect with an audience; preferably a big one. You have something to say. You have a story to tell. You want people to read it. One of the best ways to make people want to read your work is to create memorable and relatable central… Read More How to Create Dynamic Fictional Characters
by Brenda Hill When we begin a novel, we need to intimately know our characters. We must know their motivations—why they do certain things and what causes them to react to events with warmth or hostility. Otherwise, their strong reactions or nonchalance may seem strange to other people.
by Ryan Lanz tal·ent [tal-uhnt] noun: a special natural ability or aptitude. skill [skil] noun: the ability, coming from one’s knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well. What if you don’t have natural talent? Does that mean you may as well give up? It’s not quite the chicken or the egg debate, but… Read More Skill vs. Talent – Which do you have?
by Andrea Lundgren A few weeks ago, I came across a review on Goodreads mentioning Laurie Colwin and how, in that reader’s opinion, she was one of the few recent authors who wrote about happiness. My curiosity piqued, I ordered one of her novels, Happy All the Time, through my local library, and… Read More What Does It Mean to Write About Happiness?
by Cátia Isabel Silva As with any other profession, you will face many opinions from different people when it comes to writing, who may, most of the time, have no idea what they’re talking about. Let’s talk about the 6 most common myths you’ll hear about writing.
by Michael Cristiano Writing a query letter is an art, they say. What they really mean is that it’s really gosh-darn hard. It seems that everyone and their sister thinks they can write a query letter, but out in the real world, it fails. Miserably. That’s what happened to me. I thought writing a query… Read More How to Write a Query Letter that Makes Agents and Editors Swoon
by Daniella Levy You know what’s worse than getting a rejection? Waiting for a rejection. Okay, maybe not worse. But it’s really hard. Especially when it’s a very long wait, and especially when the stakes are high. I have had five full manuscript requests from agents in my life. The wait between the request… Read More 4 Strategies for Surviving the Wait for a Response to Your Submission
