Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A lot of focus gets put on the core conflict of a novel--the main problem the protagonist has to solve to win. It's no wonder since that's the whole point of the book, but sometimes, when we look too hard at the external problems, we miss out on opportunities to let the internal problems muck things up.… Read the post

Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

In real life, being judgmental might cause a few problems, but in fiction, it's something every character should aspire to. How characters--especially the point of view characters--judge the world around them shows readers what that world is like and how it works (and even non-genre writers need to world build, it's just a little different in the details).… Read the post

Janice Hardy

I love the online world just as much as the next person, but writers already spend so much time alone--it's good to get out into the sunshine once in a while. There's a different energy you get from having a physical in-person conversation versus typing a conversation online, and that energy can be, well, energizing to the creative process.… Read the post

Janice Hardy

Unless you're incredibly lucky, at some point in your writing life you're bound to fall into a rut. The novel you loved yesterday feels flat today, all your ideas sound "meh" and nothing really excites you about your current manuscript.… Read the post

Janice Hardy

There’s something satisfying about finishing a first draft. The novel that’s been poking you in the brain for months is finally done and you can stand back and marvel at it like a new parent. And like a new baby, there’s an awful lot of mess to go with all that joy.… Read the post