Heather Webb Launching a book—especially a debut—is an utter whirlwind of excitement, sobering facts, and unknowns. (We won’t even touch upon the extreme terror that hits from time to time.) But within this chaos, there are ways to tackle it all and stay sane. Let’s take a look at a few ways I manage a […]

Writing. Life. We all wind down--or unwind--during the summer. To stay fresh as writers, we need to plug in and recharge. It's possible to recharge while you're busy doing other things, just like you recharge your cell phone while you're driving. You can also recharge while you relax, much like a trickle charger for your […]

I love almost all literary devices, but the three in this post's title are my favorites. I’m sure you heard of them, and have probably used them in your writing, but you may not know the definitions, so here they are: Motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, […]

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 […]

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 […]