Oh, I know there are those of you who won't agree with me. You'll say plot is more important. I'll make my case with the beginnings of two popular plot-heavy stories. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's […]

by Lisa Hall-Wilson Deep point of view is powerful and engaging though many find it difficult to do well. The basic techniques of deep point of view have been simplified in blog posts that will heap loads of overconfidence on newer writers.  The difficult part of learning deep point of view is in knowing when […]

Melinda VanLone As I’ve pointed out a few (thousand) times before, your book cover is a marketing tool ... the most vital one you have in your marketing toolbox. It exists for one reason, and no, it’s not to contain printed pages—you could do that with a shopping bag if that’s all you needed. The […]

by Fae Rowen Years ago, when I attended the UCI Summer Writing Institute, I learned about golden lines. These are the lines you go back and highlight after taking notes in a class or workshop or in a great book. These are the takeaway ideas, the ones you want to remember and implement in your […]

by Laurie Schnebly Campbell “You’re building a WHAT?” “A world.” “The whole THING?” That’s where the next response will be different for each writer. Yes, some of us do build an entire world for our stories. No, some of us don’t. But regardless of how detailed or how sketchy it might be, we can never […]