By Wendy Lawton
Anyone who is trying to build a career as a writer knows that making a living in the early years is an almost impossible challenge. But when a writer has sold a couple of books and had …
writing craft
While U Wait
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
A few years ago I talked about what a writer needs to do while he or she waits for publication. I thought of it again while I was in Minnesota recently, stressing how important it is to …
How to Get the Most from Your Beta Readers
Blogger: Mary Keeley
I highly recommend participating in a critique group. You can improve your own craft as you critique your partners’ work often as much as you can by receiving their feedback on your work. But this can’t replace …
Secondary Characters: Their Purpose for Being
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Are you using your story’s secondary characters to their full purpose? They can make your book stand out from the crowd of other books in your genre. Practically as many ways to use these characters exist as …
What’s the Story on Backstory?
Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
One of the biggest challenges for novelists—new and seasoned alike—is avoiding too much backstory in the opening of the book. A lot of people ask me questions about backstory, and often argue with me about it. So …
Engaging Our Culture
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Unless you’re an ostrich or a hermit it’s been impossible to ignore the plethora of cultural differences being expressed this year. Opposing worldviews are at the root of the divergence. Michael Boyle, Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies …
Hook Readers in the First Few Pages
Blogger: Mary Keeley
We humans like variety. We have four hundred sixty real dog breeds to choose from according to the American Kennel Club. Fashion trends change every season. Some people read mostly nonfiction while others prefer fiction, and we …
The Simplification Mindset
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Recently, I read a Harvard Business Review online article by Jeff Rodman, a corporate co-founder. The title, “How I Built a $2 Billion Company by Thinking Small,” is what first caught my eye. This type of topic …
5 Traits of Successful Writers
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Produce marketable, well-crafted books that readers devour and remember long after they turn the last page. This is the goal of any committed writer. But the path to that goal is almost always bumpy and loaded with …
The Very First Page
Blogger: Rachel Kent
The first page of your manuscript is more important than you might imagine. You want the opening paragraphs to shine because, it turns out, if they don’t stand out, often that’s as far as an editor or …