by Lev Raphael When I published my first short story in Redbook after winning a prize, I thought my career was set. I was my MFA program’s star (that year, anyway); I’d made a lot of money for a graduate student through the prize and the magazine; I was getting fan mail and… Read More 5 Things Nobody Tells You About a Writing Career
by ARHuelsenbeck If you are writing a story, you must consider how you will handle these seven elements:
by Cátia Isabel Silva What is lacking in my story? – The more you write, the more you’ll be asking yourself this question, and if you aren’t careful, it probably means that you’re not getting any improvement. It’s really important for any professional try getting better at what it is they do, to… Read More 4 Quick Tips to Improve Your Stories
by Amanda Schlindwein Any creative venture is uniquely special to its creator. There’s a conception, a gestation period of preparation and practice, and then a birth. To hand your story over to a reader, or to hit send on that online submission, can feel a bit like handing your newborn baby to a… Read More Pressing Submit: 3 Positive Affirmations for Writers
by Larry Kahaner All writers get the same advice. Read the great writers; study the great works. Learn how seasoned, professional, and successful authors get the job done. All true, but I maintain that it’s also crucial for writers to read crap to learn what not to do.
I love reading and writing action-orientated stories. It doesn’t matter if it’s a movie or book—I love all the action with fights, weapons, car chases, martial arts, or an old-fashioned shootout. It may sound easy enough to write, but you might be surprised what it takes to make your fight scene really shine and… Read More Writing Action Scenes
by Whitney Carter Last week at my Saturday writer’s group, we had a discussion about character names. One of our people is taking her first crack at fantasy, and one of the questions I had for her was whether or not she intended to change the plain Jane names she was using in… Read More WorldBuilding: Naming Techniques and Philosophies
