by Ellen Buikema

Capturing the senses lures us into the story, allowing us to experience what the characters hear, see, smell, taste, and touch.

The power of sound.

Sounds conjure strong memories. Deep vibrations from a bass guitar floating through the air from a neighbor’s garage band practice might bring a smile of great memories or bring out your inner cranky person.… Read the post

by Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

You need more than a great idea to write a great novel.

Although I’ve never done an official study on this, I strongly suspect a lot of first novels are premise novels. The writer comes up with an idea and dives in, but they haven’t yet learned how to develop a protagonist with a problem, and are still a little unsure about how to plot.… Read the post

by Kathleen Baldwin

Alas, poor WAS! Thou art cruelly misunderstood and murdered most foul by brutal editors and unknowing authors. When should you use the ruddy WAS thing and when should you toss it over a cliff? Is passive voice given a bad rap?… Read the post

by Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Let's say you have a pretty good idea of what Deep POV is all about -- at least in terms of using character voice, choosing first vs third person, showing emotional change, revealing things at the right time, and knowing when to deepen the viewpoint or step back -- but you don't yet feel quite sure how to write it.… Read the post

by Jenny Hansen

Many authors are afraid to let their friends and loved ones read their writing. They use pseudonyms, join Reddit discussions and fret endlessly about "What if my boss / mother / [insert name] reads this?"

Many of us started reading and writing as an escape from our everyday lives.… Read the post