by Amy Sue Nathan Writing dialogue gets a character out of my head (and his or hers) and alive on the page in a conversation with other characters, and ostensibly, with the reader. It’s one of my favorite parts of novel writing. To make sure I keep my dialogue realistic, serving my story and my […]

The good news is I survived eight days of hiking in Yosemite. The better news is I got great pictures of a setting for some important scenes in my WIP. The best news is that I had a wide range of deeply emotional experiences that will help me write with a deeper understanding of what my […]

Weina Dai Randel When I was pitching my novel to agents, I didn't think of what would happen after you signed a contract with a publisher. To me, the process after the contract was like a grand party locked behind a door – I didn't have an invitation, so I would not get to see […]

Adria J. Cimino The biggest complaint about my debut novel, Paris, Rue des Martyrs? All of the “Claires.” Two extremely minor characters—a shopkeeper we see a couple of times and another person who is mentioned once but never seen—were named Claire. Another minor character was named Clara. Since these characters made so few appearances and […]

Angelina M. Lopez You've hit that mid-year lull, haven't you? That time when, instead of creating social media posts with an objective, you're posting a lot of cat videos. Instead of planning goal-oriented posts that express your personality, appeal to your fans, and move you closer to your business goals, you're re-sharing the tired memes […]