Colleen Story  Does using social media make us depressed? Scientists seem to think so, which is a little…well, depressing. Writers (and other creatives) are encouraged to use social media, after all, for marketing purposes. Many of us might have even stayed away completely if not for the gentle nudgings of our editors, agents, writer friends, […]

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."  E.L. Doctorow Y'all know I have process envy, right? I think most of us do. I always thought I'd be a plotter. I loved outlines so much that […]

Jamie Raintree Have you ever heard the phrase “act as if”? I heard it for the first time when I was a teenager from a friend who was into personal growth before I even knew what personal growth was. He used to throw it around haphazardly, like it was the answer to everything, and he […]

Announcing the winners of Laurie Schnebly Campbell's contest: Comment #21 and #35 as chosen by random.org. Congratulations to Alice Fleury and Melissa Racine. You can contact Laurie to arrange your free class. And now, you're in for a real treat, as Kathryn Craft continues her Turning Whine Into Gold series. Kathryn Craft Do you ever […]

Laurie Schnebly Campbell What does braiding a book mean? Off the top of my head, that seems like an easy question. Since a braid has three parts, a braided book has -- hmm. Goal / motivation / conflict. A hero / heroine / villain. Emotions / actions / thoughts. Description / dialogue / narrative. A […]