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It’s Time To Stop“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” –Fred Rogers By PJ...
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What Does Coffee Taste Like?I recently had a reader comment, “I noticed most of your characters are tea drinkers. Is that because you are?” I said yes. Here’s the expanded...
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Do You Bleed on the Page?by James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell One of the more ubiquitous quotes about writing out there, almost always attributed to Hemingway, is: “There...
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The Time it TakesDuring a recent book talk, a lady raised her hand. “How long does it take to write a novel?” Oh boy! I got to use my high school freshman...
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Reader Friday: Rev Up Your CreativityWhat form of inspiration most increases your creativity? Art Music Literature Film Theater Nature Pets Meditation Exercise Crafts Food...
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Lost WordsBy Elaine Viets I needed everyday phrases for a project partly set in the early 20th century. Old words and phrases are clues to how people...
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How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be?How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be? Or, who are you going to upset or offend with this book? Terry Odell Clichés are to be avoided, they tell...
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Plan BBy Debbie Burke @burke_writer In Montana, Labor Day weekend is summer’s last hurrah for camping, hiking, and outdoor recreation. It’s also the...
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What Spelling Bee Taught Me About Writing“Handle a book as a bee does a flower, extract its sweetness but do not damage it.” –John Muir * * * If you haven’t played the NY Times Spelling...
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Minor Characters to the Rescueby James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell Today’s post is brought to you by the new Mike Romeo thriller, Romeo’s Justice, now available for pre-order at...
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Empathy, Emotional Resonance, and FearEmotion is at the heart of what makes fiction connect with a reader. People read for various reasons, but feeling suspense, or romantic love, or...
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Reader Friday: Best Conditioning Programs for CharactersLabor Day is past. Schools are in session. And with that, high school and collegiate athletic programs are in full swing. Football players gather...
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Sometimes, I Just Start WritingBy John Gilstrap Imagine a classroom filled with creative writing students. They have just finished their semester on poetry and studying the...
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Does it Matter When You Release a New Book?Strategic timing of a book’s publication date can give it a boost and have a major impact on its long-term success. Commercial publishers and...
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The Two Most Useless Lines of Dialogue in All Literatureby James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell The subtitle of my book on dialogue is The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript. The converse, of course, is...
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The WeightIt’s signing season again for me with the release of Hard Country, my first novel in the Tucker Snow series. For an author, this is the time to...
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Reader Friday: Naming Your Pets…Naming Your CharactersHas any writer or fictional character inspired you to give your pet the same name? or Have any of your pets inspired you to give a fictional...
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Long Forgotten (But Cool) Medieval English WordsThey say, whoever they is, that even the most verbose writers know only 25 percent of the English language. Given that the latest edition of the...
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Bulwer Lytton 2023Bulwer Lytton 2023 Terry Odell A break for some fun. Here are some of the winners of the 2023 Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest. If you’re unfamiliar...
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Interview with Karen Odden, Historical Mystery AuthorBy Debbie Burke @burke_writer Recently I attended a Zoom workshop by bestselling historical mystery author Karen Odden. The opening slide of her...
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Hats Off to Writing HeroesI re-scheduled the post I had originally written for today after I heard that James Scott Bell had been presented a Lifetime Achievement Award at...
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A Risk Worth Takingby James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell I was reading in the back yard when Mrs. B came out to let me know that L.A. was in for two days of rain....
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Red Herrings, Foreshadows and Creating a MysteryRecently Kay DiBianca and I talked about the elements of a cozy mystery, which you can read here if you missed it the first time. I thought it...
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Reader Friday: Best Writing Advice EverToday’s guest post is by Deb Gorman. Thanks, Deb. A picture is worth a thousand words. Study the graphic carefully. ...
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True Crime Thursday – Sentenced to Give Away Books?By Debbie Burke @burke_writer This is a particularly weird case that mystifies me. I’m eager to hear what TKZers think about it. Recently,...
