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The Value of Twitter Pitch Parties
Caitlin, here. Back when I was querying, I remember getting super excited about Twitter pitch contests!!! Here’s a rough re-enactment of a twitter pitch day:Me:“I want lots of agents and editors to...
View ArticleThe End: Full Disclosure or Open to Interpretation?
Hi, Karlie with you today! Today I want to talk about endings. There’s a lot of hype attached to the beginning of novels – that first sentence, that first page, that first chapter. It’s been preached...
View ArticleDear Me
Hi! Lisa here. There was a recent movement on Twitter for people to message their younger selves bits of advice, notes of encouragement, etc. I loved it, and decided that we writers should have one...
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Book Covers
Caitlin here. Writers hear it all the time. This business is subjective. One person’s favorite book may be another person’s most hated book. And yet another person might shrug and think that book was...
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Developing Character Relationship Arcs
Hello, it's Dan today and I'm here to share some relationship advice. Not in the way you think. I'm talking about making character relationships dynamic in fiction. Books and classes for new writers...
View ArticleHero…or Not?
Today I want to talk a little about heroes and villains, and our perceptions of them as readers. We look at the antagonist of the story as the bad guy, and the hero as the one who saves the day, right?...
View ArticleWhen You Have No Time to Write
I’ll admit, life has been throwing me a few curveballs lately! They aren’t necessarily bad curveballs (and could even be great curveballs) as long as I can hit them correctly. But, hitting them just...
View ArticleThe most important thing I've "discovered" as a writer
Hi, everyone. It's Lisaon the spot today. There are some invaluable things writers have discovered, lessons we have learned. I believe we should share with some of our less experienced writers, or even...
View ArticleHow to Make Characters Relatable
It's Dan today and I'm here to talk about a tricky element of writing: making characters that are relatable to the reader. This might be more of a "Writing Craft 202" issue, for those writers who pass...
View ArticleWhere the Action Happens
As technology has advanced, writers have changed how they write. With the advent of the typewriter, writers could decide whether they preferred clicking away at first drafts or scrawling them out by...
View ArticleWhat the POV?!?
I'm not talking about 3rd person or past/present tense. I'm talking about who's telling us the story. Male, female, or cat - we all have our favorite perspectives. Who would you rather tell the story?...
View ArticleScenes: Are They Making Your Story…Or Breaking It?
Karlie with you today, and I want to talk about scenes - those little stepping stones, the individual parts that work together to make a whole story. If, that is, you're using them correctly. Here are...
View ArticleDefining Complex Human Emotions
It's Dan writing today, and I wanted to tackle the complexity of human emotions and life in general. In particular, how to recreate some of the deep, powerful feelings that we have at certain moments...
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Visuals
Caitlin here. One of my favorite novel writing tasks (or, perhaps, procrastinating tasks) is looking online for images to help inspire and drive my process. I try to have a few images, which I usually...
View ArticleTime to Write
I don't personally know any authors yet whose "real" job is writing, meaning it's not your sole source of income. So you have a job that isn't writing. You work a lot of hours at it. That takes time...
View ArticleWriterly Goals
As writers, we usually have a career dream, that end goal that makes it worthwhile and keeps us churning out page after page, day after day. Sometimes we lose sight of that goal in the rush of...
View ArticleEpilogues
Hi, it's Lisa here today. No, you're not going crazy; I'm not supposed to post this week. It's Dan's turn but he is gracious enough to let me cut in line. I've been thinking about writing a sequel on...
View ArticleHow Do Readers Find Books?
It's Dan today, and I'm back to talk a little bit about book promotion & marketing. I stumbled upon a fantastic bookstore yesterday -- Southern Bound Books -- with a lovely inventory of gently used...
View ArticleDaydreaming...er...I Mean Prewriting
Caitlin here. So, yesterday, I didn't actually do any writing on my WIP. But I went on a 45 minute walk where I hashed out a number of plot problems and thought through a number of scenes. Does that...
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Focus!
Hi, everyone. It's Lisa today and I have a problem that I share with one of my characters and probably many other writers out there. Keira is a lyrical dancer who has many things on her mind. During...
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