Tropes are a starting point, not a shortcut. Learn more about using character tropes to create unique characters.

Before characters in the Intelligence Community can save the world, they have to be recruited. Piper Bayard of Bayard & Holmes reveals how it works in reality.

Eldred Bird shows writers how to dig into a character's backstory to find out where they hid the bodies.

Do you have a story featuring a young protagonist? One topic writers ask about is how to create a YA book editors will swoon for. Although this book category is defined by the age of the protagonist (between 12 and 18 years old), writing a YA novel is way more involved than a number.