June Stevens Westerfield Have you ever known exactly the information you want to put out into the world, but then draw a blank as to how to do it properly?  Would you believe that, strangely enough, that happens to authors a lot.  Like a really lot.  You’d think that those of us that fancy ourselves […]

Jessica Strawser Mumble-mumble-cough years ago, back in my high school days, I was what you might have called a hopeless romantic—in the doe-eyed, day-dreamy way of those who have yet to actually experience romance, let alone real hopelessness. At my bedside was a faux wood clock radio, and every night after my lights were out, […]

Lisa Cron Backstory is something writers often struggle with, largely because of the writing myths out there that make it seem like something that’s best avoided. Ironic, because by avoiding backstory, writers tend to doom their novels right out of the starting gate. The surprising truth is that backstory is the most seminal layer of […]

Kimberly Brock What in hell do I blog about today, when the world is turning itself inside out every two seconds over one drama or another? What in hell do I write as a fiction author that could matter to a reader when reality is body slamming her, night and day? We all want to […]

Kathryn Craft Turning Whine Into Gold If we are ever to finish a novel there comes a point when we all must ask: is our story (yet) good enough? The question deserves a thoughtful answer. A glib “Hey, it’s better than half the crap out there” is the mindset that once defined “vanity publishing,” and […]