by Shirley Jump

I once had a neighbor I barely knew show me her new boob job as I was walking by to get the mail. It was definitely more information than I wanted to have (and totally unsolicited), and coupled with some stories she told me the day we moved in, made me want to steer very, very, very far away from her and her husband.… Read the post

by Eldred “Bob” Bird

I love perusing the Twitterverse for writing questions. One caught my eye recently and set my brain buzzing. The question was, “What separates a good writer from a great writer?” Interesting question, right? While I’ve studied countless authors and attended a ton of classes and seminars, I’ve never really looked at it from this angle before.… Read the post

by Lynette M. Burrows

Are your characters two-dimensional? Do they all sound like you and only you? Tune in to the music of character voices, make them sound more like the different instruments of a band or orchestra. Make music with your character voices and your readers won’t be able to get enough of the stories you write.… Read the post

by Joseph Lallo

One of the first and most important lessons likely to come from any sort of writing instruction is this: Don’t waste words. In short fiction, you don’t have the words to spare. Spend too much time talking about something that doesn’t matter to the plot and pretty soon your tight little short story is a sprawling novella.… Read the post

by Ellen Buikema

A character flaw is an undesirable trait that negatively affects the writer's character. The degree of this effect will depend on the type and magnitude of the defect. Fortunately, the struggles caused by these imperfections often forge great strength of character.… Read the post