Authors > Articles

Characters With Personality

by Marg McAlister - Characters are so important to the success of a novel that I am sometimes amazed by the lack of thought writers give to (a) character creation and (b) the way they introduce those characters. Read here...

Effective Character Description

by Marg McAlister - Why is it that, despite our best efforts, sometimes our characters STILL don't come to life? If you're having difficulty, part of the problem could be the way you describe your character. Read here...

Creative Nonfiction - Opportunities Abound

by Kerri Lane - What most authors don't realise is that it is easier to get non-fiction published than it is to get fiction published. Non-fiction also outsells fiction by almost two to one. Take a look around your local bookstore. Check out how much space is devoted to fiction and compare that to non-fiction. Read here...

Find Some Readers!

by Michael LaRocca - The Internet will not replace traditional promotional efforts, but it can enhance them. Before I go into the Internet, I want to talk about the old-fashioned marketing methods, because they're still your best source of readers. Read here...

Publicize Your Novel

by Fern Reiss - "It’s so much harder to publicize a novel," is the lament of many authors. Harder maybe, but not impossible. Try these methods of novel publicity.
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Suspending Disbelief

by Vicki Hinze - What does a writer do when a novel contains an element that requires a serious suspension of disbelief? How exactly does the writer incorporate that element so that the reader buys into the premise?
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Voice in Narrative and Dialogue

by Michael LaRocca - There are two types of writing in your novel. There is your narrative and there is your dialogue. The rules for the two are not the same. Read here...

What Can I Add?

by Jenna Glatzer - After brainstorming a great new idea for a nonfiction book, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is "What can I add to this topic?" Read here...

Writing is Revising

by Samantha Hunter - I forget who said this, but they were spot on. If you want to be a writer, you will find revision is one of the major processes you'll have to get used to. Nothing ever gets written perfectly the first time, and something can always be tweaked or re-organized, focused or elaborated. Read here...

Handling Multiple POVs

by Vicki Hinze - Consider this: When you are in a character's point of view, the reader is inside that character's head. Every time you change point of view, the reader has to get inside another character's head. That generates psychic distance between the characters and the reader. Too much distance, or too many point of view changes, and the reader doesn't attach to the character. Read here...

Ten Common Mistakes of Beginners

by Rita Herron - Are you making these common writing mistakes of beginners? Not enough conflict, cardboard characters, too much narrative, head hopping...?
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Elements of a Scene

by Vicki Hinze - Every scene carries the burden and blessing of advancing the story. If it doesn't, then it shouldn't be there. Read here...

40+ Ways to Make Your Next Book Signing an EVENT!!

by Larry James - If you have a book and make special appearances at book stores you "must" read this article. Read here...

Sagging Middles

by Vicki Hinze - When you start writing a story, you begin in this fireball burst of enthusiasm. You usually know the beginning and end. It’s how to get from beginning to end that stumps you—what actually happens. That’s the middle. And if you’re not careful, it’ll sag under the weight of the story. Read here...

Scenes and Structure

by Marg McAlister - Beginning writers often tend to think of a book as a series of chapters. It's actually more useful to regard it as a series of linked scenes. Why? Because it makes it a lot easier to control the pace of your story. Read here...

Plotting & Characterization: Always Ask "Why?"

by Marg McAlister - I’ve seen hundreds of plots, thousands of scenes, millions of words. And if I had to give writers one piece of advice after seeing all those millions of words, it would be this: always ask "WHY?" Read here...

The Billionaire Writer's Secret

by Steven Barnes - During a career spanning twenty-five years of novel, film, and television work, I've two major tools most valuable: the yogic "chakras" for characterization, and Joseph Campbell’s model of the Hero’s Journey for plot structure. Read here...

The Casablanca Secret

by Steven Barnes - Good writing is often designed around a character who has a distorted vision of himself or of the world. During the story, he is placed under sufficient pressure to force an epiphany, a moment of clarity in which, he sees the world as it is, not as he wished it to be. Read here...

Book Promotion Basics

by Brenda Nixon - Getting your book published is only half the battle. Promoting and selling it is the other half. Even if a major publishing house does the work, the author is still expected to promote, promote, promote. Here are some ways that have helped me. Read here...

Targeting Your Audience

by Francine Silverman - It’s easy to target your audience if you write a parenting or hiking book. But what if your book is a memoir, biography or novel? One method is to pick apart your book. Is there a theme running through it?
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Stepping Out of Character - Point of View Made Simple

by Marg Gilks - You don't have to tell your entire tale from the POV of only one character, but each character who takes up the mantle of POV should have their very own scene or scene segment--not merely one paragraph or one sentence within a scene, but a scene devoted wholly to that character's POV.
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Point of View

by Pam McCutcheon - Switching POVs (called head hopping) is done far too frequently. It feels like watching a tennis match--with the reader's head as the ball. In my opinion, it's lazy writing. A good writer can show the other character's feelings by their actions, facial expressions, tone of voice, and dialogue. Read here...

Seven Steps to a Good Critique

by Trish Anderson - Critiquing is a great reciprocal tool for authors. Through critiquing the work of others, authors are able to hone their own writing skills. Through accepting critiques of their own work, authors gain valuable insight and experience. All shared without monetary cost.
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Back Story: Too Much, Too Soon?

by Cynthia VanRooy - You have three pages to interest the editor/reader in your novel. Don’t waste them on backstory. Throw the reader right into the action. Read here...

Common Writing Mistakes - Are These Holding You Back From Writing Success?

by Marg McAlister - There are writers who may never see their work in print. The reason? They are making one or more writing mistakes that will cause an editor to toss their writing aside. Here are some of the most common writing mistakes. Read through them to see if there's a clue here about what might be stopping you from getting a 'yes'!
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Conflict

by Vicki Hinze - The best "author tip" on handling conflict I know: Find the main character's Achilles' heel (the root source of his/her internal conflict) and stomp it (external conflict). Read here...

Ten Mistakes Writers Don't See
(But Can Easily Fix When They Do)

by Patricia Holt - The list also could be called, "10 Common Problems That Dismiss You as an Amateur," because these mistakes are obvious to literary agents and editors, who may start wording their decline letter by page 5. What a tragedy that would be. Read here...

POV or: Whose Head Am I In Anyway?

by Cynthia VanRooy - Every time you shift the reader from one character to another, they are jarred out of their suspension of disbelief and reminded they aren’t actually living in the fictional world you’ve created; they’re only reading a story. Do that often enough and they’ll stop reading your story. Read here...

Reasons Why Editors Reject Manuscripts

by Vicki Hinze - Did you receive another rejection letter? Here are the major reasons cited by industry professionals. Learn how to rid your work of those infractions or troublespots. Read here...

Eight Ways to Tighten Your Prose

by Michele R. Bardsley - Strengthen your writing by tightening your prose. Here are eight tips to help you do just that. Read here...

Writing The Breakout Novel

by Don Maass - Learn the techniques of the breakout novel and commit to them. Great novels--ones in which lightning seems to strike on every page--result from their authors' refusal to settle for being 'good'. Read here...

Do You Write the Right Stuff?

by Bob McElwain - If you are still writing fiction, you may be trying to ride a dead horse. While book sales have been dropping since the 70s, the drop in fiction sales has been far more dramatic. And these trends seem locked in place. Non-fiction authors face significantly less competition. You might find this role both fulfilling and profitable. Read here...

Titles That Sell

by Marg McAlister - Why is it that a good title is so hard to find? Here are some handy tips on how you might come up with the perfect title: one that will 'sell' your story to both the editor and your readers. Read here...

How To Avoid Viewpoint Slips

by Marg McAlister - Many writers don't really understand what it means to stay true to one character's viewpoint. They'll write a scene in which the point of view fluctuates wildly from one character to another. Some readers find this intensely annoying and toss the book aside. Others will merely have a sense that something isn't quite right, even though they can't specify why. Bottom line: if you slip out of viewpoint, you disturb your reader. Learn how you can prevent this... Read here...

The Prologue - When to Use One, How to Write One

by Marg McAlister - Let's face it: some prologues shouldn't be there at all. Does your novel need a prologue or not? And if it does... how do you write one? Read here...

Creating Unforgettable Characters

by Vicki Hinze - Has someone along the way in your writing career called your story people, "cardboard characters?" One-dimensional? Stick-people? Underdeveloped? Stereotypical? If so, and you didn't deliberately intend that they be, then you can see the benefit in refreshing or revising your approach to character development.
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Show Not Tell: What the Heck is That Anyway?

by Shirley Jump - We've all heard the phrase "Show, don't tell" but may not know what it means or how to do it. It's one of those elusive things that seem impossible to capture, even harder to get down on paper. However, there are a few tricks of the trade that can help.
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Sell More Books!

by Jennifer Minar - Do you want to sell books? Lots of books? If so, you have to become a tireless self-promoter. Not good at self-promotion? Not a problem. You can learn. Read here...

Narrative vs Exposition

by Vicki Hinze - If you’re confused about the difference between narrative and exposition, don’t worry. Most writers use the terms synonymously. Both are portions of the work/scene that are engaging but non-active. The author's telling versus showing. Read here...

You're Published! Now How Do You Tell The Readers?

by Michael LaRocca - Walk into any bookstore, log onto any e-publisher site, or visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Guess what you'll see? A whole lot of books. If one of them happens to be yours, how will people notice it? Read here...

Don't Shoot Holes in Your Credibility

by John Rains - Firearms mistakes are common in all forms of writing -- news stories, TV and movie scripts, opinion pieces, novels. So common, in fact, that it is more surprising than not to read a story about firearms without catching the writer in a mistake. The subject is confusing for many writers, especially those who haven't handled guns or shot them. But writers who want to earn and keep the trust of their readers, not to mention their editors, need to avoid mistakes. Read here...

Punctuating Dialogue

by Marg Gilks - Punctuation in dialogue can be particularly intimidating. Now you're constructing sentences in which characters are speaking sentences of their own! Where do all those punctuation marks go? Read here...

What is Point of View (POV)?

by Vicki Hinze - It is the perspective through which readers will experience the story. From the inception of the story idea, the writer makes story-telling choices. She chooses characters, plot, setting, theme-and how best to depict them. The writer also chooses who is best to depict specific story elements. That 'who' defines the POV character. Read here...

Bullet-Proof Your Manuscript

by Vicki Hinze - When asked, a group of editors from top publishing houses responded that the following are the most often seen mechanical errors in works submitted by authors. Removing them from your work greatly enhances your potential for publication--and strengthens your writing skills. Read here...

Why Fiction Matters

by Rob Parnell - There are some strange folks out there who don't like fiction. Or rather, they don't understand its purpose. Read here...

The Art of Fiction: I've Got Voices in My Head!

by Lisa Lenard-Cook - Every character in every work of fiction should have a complete biography. Much of this biography won’t make it into your finished work, but you the author must know these things about your character. What things? Read here...

Edit What You Write Else Trash It

by Bob McElwain - Copy that has not been edited is not going to be read. Before sending your work to anybody, either hire an editor or do it yourself. Here's my approach to the latter. Read here...

Why Authors Don't Market Their Books

by Anthony Hernandez - I firmly believe that we as authors are the single largest determining factor behind our own commercial success or failure. I've spent plenty of time discussing ways in which authors can maximize their marketing efforts. So this time I think I'll do something different... Read here...

Ready, Set, Go Sell Your Book In The Real World!

by Mary Holzrichter - We hear a lot these days about more books actually being sold 'outside' the traditional bookstore. Get out of that chair; try some of these non-traditional ideas for selling your book. Start small, think big!
Read here...

Common Writing Mistakes

by Michael LaRocca - Most books aren't rejected because the stories are "bad." They're rejected because they're not "ready to read." In short, minor stuff like typos, grammar, spelling, etc. Read here...

Never, Ever Release Any Of Your Rights To Anyone

by Bob McElwain - Authors who do so may being making a great mistake. Here is the why of it. Read here...

Creating Your Character

by Bill MacWithey - I believe the most important part of any story is its character or characters. How thoroughly have you created your main characters before you start writing? Do you have but a vague idea of what he or she looks like? Do you know what manner of speech your character will use? Do you know what he or she thinks of politics? Kids? Movies? Other drivers on the road? Is she prone to outbursts of anger? Is she a gentle soul? Read here...

Fiction eBook Future Bright For Writers And Readers

by Bob McElwain - Not many enjoy reading fiction at a computer monitor. Thus ebook fiction has been difficult to sell. Now the proliferation of portable devices such as Palms, is a real plus for writers and readers. Now a book in electronic format can be read most any place you happen to be. Read here...

An eAuthor's Lot

by Celia Ann Leaman - The web is being flooded with writers who, after many years of struggling to be heard, are finally finding a platform for their work. Bravo for them! Now--and many thanks to the Independent ePublishers--they've found a freedom, a golden opportunity. No matter where they live in the world, be it a city or way out in the boonies, if they can make a connection, they can sell their books. Read here...

Got A Great Tale Tucked Away?

by Bob McElwain - Many writing in the 80s were forced to turn to other things when they discovered the genre in which they enjoy writing had been discarded by publishers. Now there's a way for you to get back into the game in a big way. And older typewritten manuscripts are still workable. Read here...

How to Win the Grammar Game

by Judy Vorfeld - Are you one of the many bright people who speaks well but has trouble with the mechanics of writing? Does it matter? If you're speaking, perhaps not. If you're writing, it may matter. You can win the grammar game! Read here...

Some Observations About Print On Demand Title Pricing

by Jim Cox - Jim puts together a dandy collection of book reviews each month. (See MidwestBookReview.com.) Recently he noticed quite a difference in the price of POD trade paperbacks over those produced by street publishers. He sees trouble ahead unless POD pricing can be significantly less. Read here...

Author Interview with Bob McElwain

by Dallas Franklin - Bob gives many hard-hitting truths in this interview with Dallas Franklin, owner of SellWritingOnline.com. He firmly believes, "The rules for the writing game are clearly defined. If a person wants to play this game, grab a copy of 'Writer's Market,' learn the rules, and play. Else don't bother to write." Read here...

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