Let’s face it, the characters you write about are often more familiar to you than your own family and friends. After all, they’re with you 24-7. Fixing dinner for your family: “So, yeah, hey, you know I think I’m actually allergic to goat cheese which means you really need to scrub that entire amazing scene […]

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 […]

We've been working hard on resolutions, butt-in-chair, at the gym. Let's reward ourselves with some FUN! Share a favorite paragraph of your current WIP (work-in-progress) in the comments. Give us your title and genre, then your paragraph. Feel free comment on others' as well!   Here's Mine: Hand-Me-Down Dreams, a WF with Romantic Elements: Carly's truck […]

Becca Puglisi As authors, we all know the importance of engaging our audience within a book’s first few pages. It’s called grabbing the reader: captivating them in a way that makes them want to stick with the story to its end. Michael Hauge prefers the term seducing: “Everybody likes to be seduced; it’s a gradual, […]