Writing Advice

What do you do when a teen in your life is a diehard writer? When they won’t clean their room and just want to write stories or poems all day?

Working hard isn’t necessarily a virtue if it masks the ways that we might be sabotaging our own paths to success and fulfillment.

No matter what language our characters are speaking, writers should strive to express dialogue and inner thoughts in a naturalistic way.

With these four elements you’ll be able to create a more compelling protagonist and, as a result, a more interesting story.

An amateur historian finds that her passion has led to enough expertise and authority for her book proposal to be taken seriously.

Here are some tips on what to do before approaching a published writer with questions about how to get your book published.

If your publisher’s suggested cover design feels wrong, put your foot down when necessary but also listen—really listen—to the professionals.

Worried you’re not enough of an expert to write your book? That’s OK. You don’t need to be the annoying expert who knows it all. There’s another—far more effective—approach you can take when talking to readers.

According to neuroscience, scenes make the reader feel as if they are actually in the world of the story. And that makes scene the most memorable way to share information with the reader.

If your writing project has hit a wall, consider whether it really wants to be a different form than the one you’re trying to shape it into.

In this nexus of fact and fiction, writers can mine, select and transform their real life journeys, turning points and discoveries into story.

Building up courage to own your identity as a writer starts when you realize you need to ask someone for an objective opinion on your work.

Asking yourself the right questions about why, when, how, and how much your characters speak will help you craft more powerful dialogue.

One of the hard parts of working on a book is that day-to-day progress isn’t readily visible. Give yourself credit for all the small achievements.

Submitting work shouldn’t be an act of desperation, and not every publishing deal aligns with your goals for your book—your “why”.

Finished a first draft and unsure where to go next? Here’s a 5-point checklist of what the second draft revision process should accomplish.

With a regular five-minute meditation you’ll become a master of focus, able to dismiss distractions before they even fully form as thoughts.

When we lean into stigmatized topics, we invite readers to wrestle with the same complexities we’re examining in ourselves.

Writers of both genres have to make decisions that somehow mold real people and events into a story with a shape, an arc, and meaning.

A Choctaw author offers tips on researching and connecting with First Americans in order to write respectfully and without stereotypes.

Consider the benefits and limitations of each POV, along with the feel each might lend to your story and how well it fits the tone, tenor, and genre.

Bridging the gap between research and personal experience can become a book’s greatest strength—but it might require Herculean effort.

Having a gut-punch reaction to being edited is part of the cost of doing business for writers. Here’s advice on how to survive the process.

When her indie publisher goes AWOL, an author finds the community and resources she needs to pick up the pieces and persevere.

To truly put your reader in the emotional position of your POV character, focus on conveying body language and internal narration.

Acknowledgment pages allow us to peer into authors’ lives, and reveal the fascinating web of the publishing world.

Memoirists can take steps throughout the writing and publishing process to minimize fallout and family strife.

A book map—a visual representation of your book’s structure—will help you maintain momentum and ensure a smooth journey for your reader.

Focus on the main story’s forward momentum, and use backstory as the seasoning that makes the stew.

Your audience won’t remember the chapter where your hero took a breather. What’s memorable are the forces of antagonism, and how your hero reacted.

Before spending time on a story that doesn’t work, ensure you’ve addressed the critical questions of character, plot, goals and motivations.

Even with an excellent query and opening pages, you’ll still get rejections. A lot of them. Success comes to those who refuse to give up.

More than just a tool to sell your book, your synopsis is a roadmap to making the next draft of your manuscript much stronger.

Here are four ways to help create the mindset that we can realistically accomplish something we’ve never tried before.

It might not be essential to impose a standard arc structure on a character who’s non-traditional or isn’t affected by the story’s actions.

We writers know that critiques are an integral part of improving our work. But we rarely learn how to receive feedback or what to do after.

Central to most of Michael Lewis’ works are larger-than-life characters who find themselves at the center of major industry or societal shifts.

When completing a readable draft left one author exhausted and overwhelmed, these three steps helped him start writing again.

If your subject already has a large existing fandom, how can you quantify that audience, using the data to impress agents, publishers, and editors?

Whether you’re a planner or a pantser, this brainstorming document can take your story to places it might not have gone otherwise.

A prologue can open the door to your story and entice the reader in, or throw up a barrier that delays or prevents their engagement.

A great villain character should have complex motivations and be able to evoke sympathy from readers.

The writers who get their books into the world are those who find a middle ground between refining their work and endlessly tinkering.

Science says these three techniques can draw your readers in, keep them engaged, and provide them with a compelling experience.

If your agent or publisher wants to pitch your book to Hollywood, they need to know the rules—or at least, the rules of the day.

You can mine the first paragraphs of well-written novels for four critical components that keep readers hooked.

What makes a good writer? Relentless internal drive, a thick skin for editorial feedback, and reading voraciously across many genres.

From appealing to short attention spans to offering no-fuss ways to play in another sandbox, short story writing has many benefits.

Writing a book with multiple authors requires trust, vulnerability and patience. But done right, group writing has some surprising benefits.

When we’re dealt life-altering circumstances, how do we stay true to creative ambitions while finding a whole new way of existing?