If you're a North American parent with a child in 3rd grade or beyond, it's a pretty sure bet you've heard of Flat Stanley. Just in case you haven't, here's a quick summary: The Flat Stanley Project In 1994, Dale Hubert began the Flat Stanley Project in Ontario, Canada. Hubert had the brilliant idea of […]

NOTE: Our very own Laura Drake is teaching an online course on "Fearless Pitching," June 10-July 7. Click here for more information. Now, Let's welcome back Shannon Donnelly! First lines fall into three categories—hooks, lines, and sinkers. The sinkers are pretty obvious—they’re the dud lines, the lines that don’t help a reader into the story. […]

Note: Congratulations to Robin Kramme, winner of the giveaway by Melissa Cutler! Writers In The Storm is thrilled to welcome Steena Holmes. There’s one key aspect to writing that authors either love or hate. Promotion. We either find it exciting and can’t wait to dive in or we fortify ourselves with pots of coffee followed […]

First a quick congratulations to the winners of the two most recent giveaways: Deb Kastner and cwolffe both won a copy of Laura Drake's debut release;  Karen Duvall will be taking a Margie Lawson class! Now, please give a warm WITS welcome to Melissa Cutler (take note folks, she's doing a giveaway). I'm excited to […]

Sometimes the most powerful description does not mention the emotion itself. The author trusts that the reader will get it. It’s like a scary movie; your mind conjures scarier things than the cameraman could ever show you. Try this in a black moment, or a key turning-point scene. It’s subtle, and can be powerful.