Natalia Sylvester You know how some authors will tell you that their characters just speak to them, taking on a life of their own? I cringe when I hear this. I twitch a little. I kinda, sorta want to call B.S. (but that’s probably because I’m jealous). I have a hard time believing characters speak […]

Sierra Godfrey It would be nice if we all had a virtual set of Tupperware that allowed us to take out nice fresh pieces of our websites or blogs when things get stale. Let’s face it—even if your website or blog is professionally designed or a straight-off-the-shelf template, and whether you’re promoting a book or […]

James Preston So, What's In It For You? Or, How To Not Quit I  know what you are thinking, if you have read some of my earlier contributions to this award-winning blog. "Oh, no, he's going to make me get out a calculator and see if the midpoint of my novel is really a watershed, […]

Susan Squires  Recently, I wrote a blog here at WITS about how to put sexual tension in your romance novel. But it felt like only half the story. Sexual tension often leads to…you guessed it…sex. Not all romances have sex in them, but many do. I’ve been teaching a class on writing romance and in […]

 Susan Spann Mismanaged (or mismatched) expectations are a fundamental cause of problems in the author-agent relationship. Authors can  often avoid many problems—before and after signing with a literary agent—by establishing realistic expectations about the author-agent relationship. Step 1: Know What Agents Do … and Do Not Do.  A literary agent can wear many different “hats” […]