Writing What You Know—the Hard Way
by Barb Goffman We’ve all heard this advice: write what you know. I’ve had editing clients take this advice the wrong way, thinking that if they haven’t experienced something themselves,…
Fiction Writing
FAREWELL, MY COASTLINE, or How to Write an Environmental Crime Novel without Sending Your Reader into the Big Sleep
by Robert Lopresti Some people become novelists because they have Something to Say. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, unless they decide to Say it. Most of us, when nibbling…
How to Write a Great Thriller
by Mike Bond All great works of art are thrillers If a thriller is defined as a book you keep reading to find out what happens next, then all good…
Co-Writing: Plotting Murder without Killing Each Other
by Sparkle Abbey The thing most people notice first when they meet Sparkle Abbey at conferences or book signings is that there are two of us. The question that almost…
Your Pen or Mine
by Barbara Hunter and Catina Williams When we tell other authors we are collaborating on a book series, the response is astonishment. Suddenly, no one is interested in what we…
Who’s Telling This Story? And Why?
By Shelly Lowenkopf Three bag ladies are standing in the parking lot of a Trader Joe’s market, a common-enough sight in many cities. Now, two men—Mac and Ben—push their shopping…
On Editing an Anthology
by Andrew MacRae My teenage mind was blown years ago when I discovered the anthology Dangerous Visions, edited by science-fiction great, Harlan Ellison. Not only because of the stories and…
Narrative Voice: A great one will sell your book
By Toni Lopopolo, Literary Agent What editors in publishing houses tell agents: “I’m looking for well written, vivid, voice-driven books in adult, young adultand narrative non-fiction categories.” Sara Goodman, Editor…
The Inner Workings of a Romance Novel
by Sandra Murphy Barbara Metzger has written over 40 historical Regency (and five contemporary) romance novels. “I tried to find a balance between the sexy scenes and humor,” she said…
Five Ways Scrivener Helped Me Write My Novel
by Susan Daffron Recently, I published my first novel, Chez Stinky (http://www.chezstinky.com), which is about a woman who inherits a house with a lot of quirky animals. It’s a romantic…