As a freelance editor and a mother of four kids, I have learned that basic research skills are a must, both in writing and in life. Children, like writers and editors, are curious creatures. We all wonder about things that have little to do with our everyday lives. So we do research. Sometimes we fall down the rabbit hole and don’t come out for hours.  As writers, use this curiosity...

We’ve all been there. The days, weeks, and months crawl (or fly!) by but you’re unable to put pen to paper—or fingers to keys. Your book(s) languish away, calling softly for you to return. Even if you want to, you just don’t have the energy. I get it. And you’re no less of a writer for feeling that way. Recently, I pulled myself out of a pretty deep writing slump....

If you’re anything like me, and I know a lot of writers are, it can be a challenge to find engaging writing communities. I think the biggest reason for this is because many of us are introverts. We may be introverts who enjoy spending time with people or introverts who prefer to spend every possible moment alone; but if you’re an introvert, too, I bet one thing we have in...

We know dialogue makes for good storytelling, and we know that getting two people talking can make a scene interesting. But, of course, dialogue isn’t interesting just because it exists. The possible things your characters could say at any moment need to be curated and carefully shaped by you. That shaping means you are going to want every bit of dialogue to be directed toward your story purposes. Therefore, if...

Why do you like the writing you like? I think many writers’ work becomes popular because their writing touches readers on an emotional level. Whether writing makes you laugh or cry, whether you give the novel a place of honor on your bookshelf or throw it against the wall, it makes you feel something.  One of my favorite writers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has been asked in several interviews how he writes such deeply...

When I was 19, I started writing my first novel. I’d written fan fiction as a young teen, but my original works were rarely longer than a few pages. I was an avid reader, though, and I’d been told I was a prodigious writer. I thought that was all I needed to write. This was the first year I studied writing formally. I’d decided in high school that I wouldn’t...

In our final installment of how to ruin your mystery, we have bundled our greatest collection of examples from actual books we have tried to read. They showcase the utter nonsense, the ridiculous, the inane, and downright contrived ploys that authors have used to propel their story, only to have merely lost us along the way. A seemingly all-American, wholesome girl is murdered. But it turns out she led a...

U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser said that titles “…represent the hand you extend in friendship toward your reader.” He was talking about titles of poems, but his words apply to titling your book as well. Yes, people buy books because they’re interested in the concept, but just as important is their assessment of the cover. So, titling your book is a huge marketing decision. A title tells people what to think about...