As an author, your email list is your most valuable platforming asset. Why? Because it’s your most direct line to your biggest fans. With so many platforming tools, your following is actually owned by the application you’re using. Consider: When you’re on Facebook, you have to play by Facebook’s rules. If they change their algorithm… Read more »
One great way to get new story ideas or kick-start your writing is to use the five senses for inspiration. Most writers think of the senses as a way to spice up flat descriptions. In fact, I have one writer friend who used to keep a post-it note stuck to his computer screen with the… Read more »
Congrats—you finished the first draft. Yet you’ve only begun. You know you need to revise. So, you reread and cut, add, edit, restructure, and do it again and again. At some point, after several revisions, the act can become deadening and you need fresh eyes. In writing my novel, Into That Good Night, I often… Read more »
I do my best writing reading. Yes, you read that right. I write best when I read what I want: spicy romance, psychedelic fiction, heart-expanding poems. I finish one book; I pick up another. Along my meanderings, I discover good writing across authors, genres, and forms. How does all of this indiscriminate reading help my… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I am thrilled (pun intended) to have Joseph Finder on the show! Joseph Finder is the New York Times bestselling author of thirteen previous novels, including the international bestseller Killer Instinct, which won ITW’s Thriller Award for Best Novel in 2006. Two novels—Paranoia and High Crimes—have also become major motion… Read more »
Hi, I’m Leanne: an INFJ, Open Introvert/Extrovert, Acts of Service, Upholder, Lark, Marathoner, Finisher, and a 2/6/8 on the Enneagram scale. I’m a personality test junkie: I love taking quizzes and reading books that teach me about myself. In today’s post, I’m going to tell you why these personality frameworks can help you know yourself… Read more »
Seven years ago, when I quit my job as an English professor and began this work of writing full-time, friends who were writers gave me great encouragement and wisdom. They talked to me about writing goals and encouraged me to focus on my practice not the product. The reminded me to keep my eyes on… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! In today’s episode I bring you live to ThrillerFest 2017 where I have assembled a panel of five, that’s right five, debut authors. Not only are all these fabulous authors debuts, they are also all women and represent different sub-genres in the broad category of thriller. I am so excited to… Read more »
The number of articles, posts, academic theses, and books about The Hero’s Journey and its variants attests to the model’s enduring usefulness to both writers and academics. It’s a way into story structure from an anthropological, sociological, and psychological angle that will help deepen your understanding of other structural models and enrich your work. I… Read more »
Every previous plot point has led up to this moment. The inciting incident ushered the protagonist into the main conflict. The Act I choice saw him committing to a goal influenced by that conflict. The midpoint gave him time to reflect and rethink his plans, and then the Act II crisis nearly destroyed his faith… Read more »
