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Show, Don’t TellThere’s a Deadline Beast lurking in the near future, so this post will be brief, for me. You’ve heard or read this before, but even writing...
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Biphasic Sleep and “The Watch” SyndromeAre You Working Overtime at Night? First Sleep, Second Sleep, and “The Watch” Do you wake up at night? Do you have to eat a snack, drink...
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Good Luck and Good AdviceBy Elaine Viets What a week of ups and downs. I broke my collarbone. My right collarbone and I’m right-handed. I wish I had a good story to...
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What’s The Big Deal About Was?What’s The Big Deal About Was? Terry Odell When I finished my first novel, the only paths to publication were vanity presses and agents. When...
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Writers and AgeBy Debbie Burke @burke_writer A February 2023 article in The Guardian gives hope to us writers of a certain age. According to the...
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The Valley of Elah“Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.” –George Herbert * * * My husband and I hired a private guide to take us on a one-day tour...
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Cutting the DULL from Your Scenesby James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell George Horace Lorimer was the legendary editor of The Saturday Evening Post from 1899 to 1936. He brought the...
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Characters: The Good, the Bad and the UnnecessaryProtagonists, antagonists and supporting characters– without some version of each, it would be very difficult to write a thriller, and even...
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Reader Friday – Science or PerceptionScience is “the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the...
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Romans, Horse Asses, US Railroads, Space Shuttles, and Common Writing PaperKill Zoners — Bear with me. I promise this headline will make sense. I belong to a police veteran group where this piece was recently posted. Yes,...
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The Other Side of NewslettersBy John Gilstrap Two days ago, on May 1, our own Sue Coletta posted an outstanding article here about newsletters, with the promise of more to...
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First Page Critique: PointOf View Is A Powerful ToolBy PJ Parrish Our submission today is designated as a “thriller” so that’s all we know going in. The presumed protag is a...
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5 Tips to Improve Newsletters – Part IWhen I bought back my rights to my Mayhem Series, one of the first things I did was to revamp my newsletters. So, let’s discuss five tips that...
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The Heroic Visionby James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell There are two kinds of heroes. One is the man or woman who responds to an immediate crisis, and in rising to...
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In The Air Around UsWhen I finished my talk to a large civic group last month and took questions, a lady’s hand shot up. “Where do you get your ideas?” I shrugged....
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Reader Friday: What Writing is Like“In the end, writing is like a prison, an island from which you will never be released but which is a kind of paradise: the solitude, the thoughts,...
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True Crime Thursday – Vicious Vishing by Voice CloningBy Debbie Burke @burke_writer Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. That saying has been attributed to sources like Benjamin...
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Tell Don’t ShowTell Don’t Show Terry Odell Something we’ve all heard since we took writing seriously was “Show, Don’t Tell.” It’s been called the “Golden...
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Editor/JanitorBy Debbie Burke @burke_writer From 1965 to 1985, the Kalispell Weekly News was great regional paper in northwest Montana. It was owned and operated...
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Revision and Omar KhayyamThe Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash...
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Becoming a Brand Nameby James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell Today’s post is brought to you by that new craft book, Power Up Your Fiction: 125 Tips and Techniques for...
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Brave Words of WisdomIn my experience, a vital part of creating a fictional narrative is being willing to screw up when writing, followed by figuring out how to fix...
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Reader Friday: Advice“If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass. If it...
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Your Elusive Creative GeniusWhat’s the source of human creativity? Where’s the house of imagination? The plane of intelligence where endless thoughts are stored and...
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Finding The BeginningBy John Gilstrap It’s rare that the Chapter One I start with when writing a new book lives on as Chapter One in the final version. Usually,...
