The perfect length of a short story can be tricky to figure out. Make it too long and you exceed the reader’s attention span and nobody wants to publish it; make it too short and you have flash fiction on your hands. Edgar Allan Poe described the proper length of a short story by saying […]
If you’re like me, you go through the same editing motions with every single piece of writing. Why not change it up? Consult these 15 innovative editing strategies and you’ll find a way to edit your book into greatness. By following these, you’ll strike the perfect balance between copy editing (grammar and spelling mistakes) and […]
There are three parts to a character: a personality, a backstory, and a motivation. These three things are what create your story. Most important of the three is the character’s desire, or motivation. A motivation has the potential to be the backbone of the entire story, create a character arc, or add a more complex dimension […]
What would you do if a writer emailed you saying they were going to commit suicide? It happened to Cynthia McCabe, a journalist at the Washington Post. She was in bed one night, checking her email, and read an email from a complete stranger named Dennis Williams who said that he’d published one novel that no […]
With his new Random House release, “How to Write Like Tolstoy: A Journey into the Minds of Our Greatest Writers,” author Richard Cohen shines a light on history’s greatest storytellers. This spectacularly written how-to is not your average road map to becoming a pro. Throughout the pages of this delectable dish of writing advice, Cohen delves […]
Some writers hate outlining while others think it’s a godsend. Which kind of writer are you? And have you tried the other side? Those who are against outlining usually say they enjoy the discovery process they experience as the story unfolds. They learn more about their story, their characters and their own selves as a result […]
One of the hardest things about writing is nailing dialogue, and many writers mess up dialogue tags. How do you describe with mere words the complexity of a conversation? Unlike film, in which characters’ expressions and inflections can be clearly observed, in writing, the author has to paint these scenes without using a visual image. […]
Why not get people to support you while you write your book, instead of waiting until afterwards? This is called crowdsourcing or crowdfunding, depending on whether you are using the crowd for money or for support. But how does one go about crowdsourcing? There are many ways and the steps are simple. First, determine what […]
One of the most difficult scenes to write is a kissing scene, or really any scene when when things get hot and heavy. Writers worry about being too obscene (will my mother read this?), or even worse, not vulgar enough (no one wants to be labeled a prude). Humans are private creatures when it comes to lust, and […]
Congratulations! You’ve put together a wonderful collection of words, and now comes the scary part: can you get it published? Unfortunately, there’s no simple 5-step plan to publication, but there are great guidelines that I’m going to reveal to you that will help you on your way. Pick Your Sub-Genre and List “Comps” Once you’re confident that […]
