Margie Lawson How often do you get fresh…on the page? Writers are beyond crazy busy getting their story on the page, developing goal-motivation-conflict, deepening characterization, sharing subtext with body language and dialogue cues, making choreography work, as well as covering the 3756 other dynamics they need to consider to make their writing strong. Sometimes writers […]

Tiffany Yates Martin Before we turn the blog over to Tiffany Yates Martin, we want to announce the winners of Chuck Sambuchino's Worst Storyline Ever! contest. Winners: 1. Laurie Michele - "Nudist cowboy rides his faithful horse across the Wild West, fighting crime and saddle rash." 2. Therese Calegari - "Defeated by the love of […]

Piper Bayard & Jay Holmes *** For those of you who write about covert operatives, we invited Bayard & Holmes back to share some insider tips on how to write believable spies. Enjoy! *** The basic function spooks serve is to spy on people and organizations. Technology makes that task easier. One major segment of […]

Two months ago I wrote about writing lessons I learned in the Galapagos Islands. I've been thinking about that post. After returning from a week floating on a lazy river in Mexico, I've got more ideas on the subject, especially since I now have characters and a plot for another brand new book. (I can't travel […]

Margie Lawson I’ve talked to dozens of agents and editors about what makes them stop reading submissions. We’ve chatted on planes and on yachts, in several countries, on several continents. We’ve chatted at luncheons and dinners and late nights in bars. Some agents and editors shared general ideas regarding why they quit reading. They said […]