by Christina Delay How do we keep moving forward when life decides to TP our plans? In other words, how do we keep going when we hit creative burnout? In a season that my daughter likes to call “candy-tastic,” it may feel like we must throw candy around like everything’s peachy, but inside we’re dealing […]

by Amy Shojai I didn’t set out to be a writer. I’m where I am due to a perfect storm of pet-love, frustration, boredom, and lack of funds. *s* Oh, and luck, a whole lot of furry good luck. THE ACCIDENTAL WRITER My publishing career began when my husband and I moved to the mountains […]

Turning Whine Into Goldby Kathryn Craft   Earlier this year I ran across a social media post by Lauren Vaknine that evokes a concern so common among writers I thought we might discuss it here (used with permission): “I watched the film Goodbye Christopher Robin last night, and seeing the adoration [A.A. Milne] got from […]

by Lisa Hall-Wilson Life is hard and as writers, we aren’t doing our jobs unless our characters struggle. Am I right? Good fiction isn’t borne out in the comfortable and easy living we might dream about, but in the tension and conflict between characters and/or their own desires. Giving a character a backstory that includes trauma […]

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy  Unless you're playing with a non-chronological story structure, plot unfolds as time marches on in a novel. It starts when the problem is discovered (more or less), and ends when the problem is resolved. But just because the story is in chronological order, doesn't mean we need to plot it that […]