Angela Ackerman Ah, backstory. According to many, this is the BIG BAD WORD in fiction. How many times have you heard someone say, “Backstory is bad, strip it from the scene!” or, “Backstory slows the pace, bogs down the action, and will only bore the reader.” Well, if you hang out at the same online […]

Katie Rose Guest Pryal One of the most beloved chestnuts of writing instruction is that you should write every day. There are many reasons that writing advice-givers (of which I am one, obviously) give for this advice. But recently, some friends of mine, writer and novelist Esme Weijun Wang and writer Jacqui Shine conversed about […]

by Piper Bayard Sshh! I have a secret. I’ve never said it out loud, but I’m going to share it with you – because you need to know. I’m an author with two books out. Both books made the top ten of one bestseller list or another. I also post at over 60 websites nationwide […]

by Susan Spann A “nondisclosure” agreement (or “NDA”) is a contract or contract clause in which one or both of the parties promise not to discuss certain subjects, facts, or contract terms. In business, NDAs are common, but they generally only apply to legally protectable “confidential information” belonging to the parties who sign the contract. […]

by Amy Sue Nathan Writing dialogue gets a character out of my head (and his or hers) and alive on the page in a conversation with other characters, and ostensibly, with the reader. It’s one of my favorite parts of novel writing. To make sure I keep my dialogue realistic, serving my story and my […]