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 […]

Margie Lawson THANK YOU to all the uber-talented and uber-fun WITS gals for inviting me to guest blog again! Ready for some fun? Margie’s Rule #5: If the Hyphenated-Run-On Fits… If you’re a Margie-grad, you know I love well written hyphenated-run-ons. That’s my term for stringing three or more words together with hyphens. They give […]

Natalia Sylvester You know how some authors will tell you that their characters just speak to them, taking on a life of their own? I cringe when I hear this. I twitch a little. I kinda, sorta want to call B.S. (but that’s probably because I’m jealous). I have a hard time believing characters speak […]

Susan Spann Spring is the time “when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love,” but in autumn, writers dream of contract offers. With the summer contract season over, and many authors “on submission” with agents and publishers alike, the delights—and dangers—of publishing contracts gain an important focus at this time of year. One […]

One of the first things aspiring authors hear is a laundry list of things they should be doing to ensure success. If you somehow missed those directives, here are the “right things” you should be doing: Join a writing group. There are quite a few organizations out there to help writers at every stage in […]