by Doug Lewars

There are four things involved with producing your masterpiece. You need to write, edit, research and market it. I’m including plot development within research. If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance you have the research and writing under control, the editing more or less under control and the marketing … well maybe not so much. You realize it has to be done but you also realize it might be more pleasurable to poke yourself in the eye with a sharp stick. The real question you need to ask is how much are you prepared to give of yourself in order to obtain commercial success.

Continue reading The Power of Social Media For Authors →

by Michael Cristiano

When it comes to writing, there is nothing more daunting than writing a novel. Okay, maybe attempting to write a saga of twelve novels is a little bit more daunting, but let’s stick to just one for now. In my opinion, writing a novel is a little more difficult than say a short story or a poem. That’s not to say it’s more difficult than writing a good short story or poem, that’s just to point out that short stories and poems don’t generally run 60,000+ words — unless you’re Homer and write two epic poems that come in at over 200,000.

In any case, the enormity of a novel is disillusioning enough on its own, so while we’re at it, let’s disillusion some more.

Continue reading 4 Misconceptions About Writing a Novel →

by Jordan Jolley

Each author has different tactics of writing. Some authors will work from sunup to sundown while others may have part-time jobs. Some may have a deep love for historical fiction while another has a deep love for romance. Of course, one specific set of writing methods isn’t the same among authors. However, there are some tips and habits that will be very useful to anyone who writes. They are important tips.

Continue reading How to Become a Great Author →

by Lev Raphael

Unpublished authors imagine that once they are published, life will be glorious. That’s because they haven’t thought much about bad reviews. Every author gets them, and sometimes they’re agonizing.

As a published, working author, you learn to live with the reality of bad reviews in different ways. You can stop reading them. You can have someone you trust vet them for you and warn you so that nasty splinters of prose don’t lodge in your brain. You can leave town or stay off the grid when your book comes out.

Continue reading Don’t Let Reviewers Hold You Hostage →

by Danielle LeBouthillier

In essay writing, they call it the Hook. In fiction, we’ll call it the First Line.

Different names, but they serve the same purpose. This is the first piece of your story that the audience is going to read. Whether that audience is someone from a publishing house considering your work or a potential fan, it’s important to draw them in right away.

Continue reading The Importance of a Great Literary First Impression →

by Lauren Sapala

For the longest time I had major problems doing revisions on my writing. It seemed so easy for everyone else. Why was it so hard for me? Of course, I also had trouble writing. I hardly ever experienced that state of “effortless flow” everyone talked about, in which the words just magically spewed out of me down onto the page. For years—a lot  of years—I felt like something was wrong with me. I felt like I was a failure as a writer.

Then, I discovered something.

Continue reading Stuck With Your Story? Why You Keep Hitting Walls and Dead Ends in Your Writing. →

by Kelsie Engen

I’m deep in the throes of editing my current WIP right now, Broken Time, which is why my poor blog has been taking a backseat. And what this really means is that I’m deep into the nitty-gritty of grammar, word usage, syntax, and pretty much the non-glamorous aspects of writing.

Continue reading 5 Overused Words in Fiction →