Here’s a secret writing exercise I only recently learned: If you want characters to feel real for the reader, you have to hint they have the potential to be the opposite of what they appear. Wait, what? The opposite of what the character seems . . . wouldn’t that mean the character is acting out… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I am delighted to have Yang Huang on the show! Yang is an author and former engineer. She grew up in China’s Jiangsu province where she participated in the 1989 student uprisings, and moved to the U.S. to attend Boston College. Her debut novel, Living Treasures, won the Nautilus Book… Read more »
In the past, I’ve addressed topics like artificial intelligence and time travel as both inspiration for story and as integral parts of setting. I think the best stories can work in just about any setting, but science is at the core of the science fiction genre. This time, I’m going all in on setting. You… Read more »
In platforming conversations with authors, I often get asked: how many social media networks should I be on? The short answer is that it depends. There is no magic number. How busy are you? Is social media fun for you, or a stressful chore? How are you keeping up with what you’re already doing for… Read more »
Writing is hard. Not just in craft, but in practice. As writers, we must take great care of ourselves to produce our best work. While at first, the connection between our self-care and writing might not seem obvious, consider trying to show up to the page tired, hungry or aggravated with life. While conditions cannot… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to have Steven James on the show! Steve is the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of sixteen novels. Best known for his psychological thrillers, he has received more than a dozen honors and awards for his books, including 3 Christy Awards and being nominated as a finalist… Read more »
“Aim high” is probably advice you’ve heard before. I sure have: my elementary school’s motto was aim high, be respectful, care for others, all admirable things to do. But not everyone will tell you to do so when it comes to your writing. There are the skeptics, those writers who want you to think that… Read more »
In the last Be Well, Write Well post, I wrote about the perspective of having abundant time. Today, I’m going to show you that time is not only abundant in the macro sense, it can also feel abundant on the micro level—in the weeks, days and hours that make up the building blocks of our… Read more »
Creating an immersive setting is an important element of any story, but it’s especially important for historical fiction writers. Readers come to this genre because they want to feel they’re stepping out of their world and into the world of your story, whether it takes place in Gilded Age New York, Renaissance Florence or Imperial… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to have Rebecca Behrens on the show! Rebecca is not only a fabulous middle grade author but also a dear friend. In fact, we live directly across the street from each other here in New York City, and we were part of the same “Write Nite… Read more »
