By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Revisions are a part of writing, and as much as we wish they'd go smoothly, they don't always work out like we planned. Some manuscripts fight us and nothing we do makes them any better. When we run into such a troublesome beast, it helps to step back and figure out […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. Protagonists […]

Janice Hardy Before I dive in, I'd like to say congrats and cheers to everyone at WITS on their new home! It's hard to improve something so good, but they managed to do it. Kudos, Stormies! And thanks for letting me stop by to help you celebrate. Okay, on to the writing tips... When you […]