Ask an author why they write and you’ll get some variation of “to tell a story.” For most of us it started with the wonder of leafing through books picked up at a library or bookstore. We fantasize about the weight of a book in our hands, our name on the cover, picture on the […]

Please give a welcoming WITS hello to Ruthie Knox who's here celebrating the launch of her latest novel (releasing today, btw) and talking about why she chose to write about a flawed hero. So I wrote a romance novel where the hero stutters. A lot. Actually, this is only partially true. For the first third […]

WITS is pleased to welcome back Sharla Lovelace! And psst, she's doing a giveaway. 🙂 Hi!  Thanks to Orly and the other peeps at WITS for having me! I was asked to talk about novellas today, and I’m excited about that.  Novellas have become the new in-trend, short little bursts of story that can be […]

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. […]