So I’ve spent more than 15 years coaching writers and editing their books, and over the years I have slowly and methodically collected the absolute best strategies to end novels. The 9 strategies below aren’t foolproof, but one of them will probably be right for about 99% of novels. So let’s get into it. 1. […]
I spent nearly 4 months scouring Publisher’s Marketplace looking for all the books that had just sold. Most of these books won’t be published until 2025. Some won’t even be published till 2026. In the end, I read more than 1,000 book descriptions. It was truly eye-opening, and it forever changed the way that I […]
So last year I edited 51 novels. Yes, I was a busy guy. But after going through that experience, I came away with these 9 insights that I think every writer should know. These are insights which will help your writing career, they’ll help you write your novel, and they’ll just help you feel happier […]
Let’s talk about plot. Plot? What’s plot? You know. It’s the way a story moves from beginning to end. And you think that is going to help writers? Yeah. I mean, everybody talks about plot. Sure they do. They do. But is it the most helpful way to talk about a story? I think so. […]
Writers, do you wanna be a rule follower? A nice little meek writer who follows all the commandments out there on social media? I hope you’re a bit of a rebel and wanna write some stories that break rules. If so, keep reading and I’m gonna tell you exactly how to do it. Plus, if […]
You can’t have a story without an antagonist. You could, it just would be really boring. My goal in this post is to radically expand your vision of what an antagonist can be. In my work as an editor, I’ve found that writers tend to get into these ruts and keep on writing the same […]
Guest post by E. S. Foster What do you know other than writing? While it’s the norm to specialize in one area and perform one specialized set of skills, understanding the mechanics of fields outside our typical scope can be highly beneficial. You can’t just be a writer. You have to know another field. Being […]
Writers can often feel burned out or directionless. Here are 5 podcasts for writers to help inspire, educate, entertain, and get them in the right mindset.
Here are my 40 favorite books about writing, the books I’d swear by and beg you to read. These books help me feel like I’m not alone. They help me work through problems I didn’t even know I had. And they give me enormous amounts of courage to keep pressing on. After reading more than […]
by Garrett Calcaterra 1. I Don’t Write Every Day The writing advice you most often hear is something to the effect of, “If you want to be a successful author, you need to write every day.” I don’t. I mean, I work as a freelance writer and editor, so yeah, I write something every day, […]
