Weina Dai Randel When I was pitching my novel to agents, I didn't think of what would happen after you signed a contract with a publisher. To me, the process after the contract was like a grand party locked behind a door – I didn't have an invitation, so I would not get to see […]

Adria J. Cimino The biggest complaint about my debut novel, Paris, Rue des Martyrs? All of the “Claires.” Two extremely minor characters—a shopkeeper we see a couple of times and another person who is mentioned once but never seen—were named Claire. Another minor character was named Clara. Since these characters made so few appearances and […]

Angelina M. Lopez You've hit that mid-year lull, haven't you? That time when, instead of creating social media posts with an objective, you're posting a lot of cat videos. Instead of planning goal-oriented posts that express your personality, appeal to your fans, and move you closer to your business goals, you're re-sharing the tired memes […]

by Kathryn Craft Turning Whine Into Gold Each of our fictional characters carries a spark from our own souls, it is said, and this is certainly true of me. My character Angela Reed, from The Art of Falling, is fond of celebrating. Any old thing, really, as am I (although it would be of great […]

Margie Lawson Most writers know Show Don’t Tell, but sometimes they think they’re showing when they are telling. Here’s my oh-so-easy check. Read the sentence that you think SHOWS the reader something. Ask yourself ---- What’s the Visual? You may be surprised that the sentence doesn’t provide a visual. Wondering why I care? Wondering why […]