At first it was fun. This novel is going so well, the author exudes on page 124. Let’s stop writing and play with titles! Some time...

Photo by Anil Xavier on Unsplash It’s almost winter, so here once again are my top 10 writing tips. Except different. Every year I post...

Long ago I stopped asking myself on any given day if I felt like writing. Often the answer would be, “Actually, I don’t.” Another...

Does promoting your book have to be a horrible exercise in self-shilling? No! Join this zoom meeting with promotion guru Anthea Sharp and...

Lately I’ve been giving zoom workshops on a few critical novel-writing subjects. Topics that I think are under-taught and under-optimized...

I’ve just finished the third draft of my work in progress–(which, since you ask, is a dystopian science fiction novel) and among my goals...

If you’ve ever tried to write a novel, this picture may speak to you! Every few years I post my top 10 writing tips here. Why do I keep...

Think of all the things a piece of fiction must have. Who can ever get it all right? For example, we’re told to excel at plot, character,...

Class will be on Sunday, not Saturday. Join me this Sunday for a 2-hour workshop on plotting the novel! Mapping the Labyrinth at the...

Feedback on your fiction is, on the surface of it, a sensible thing. You’re writing for readers, and people reading your draft and giving...

The novel being constructed. Here I go again, getting all organized about things. Writing things, that is. But even for you...

A novel is complex, if only because it’s so long. It can so easily wander off course, fall into episodic events and feel scattered. To...

Our major characters are usually so deep we need a whole novel to flesh them out. But haven’t we chosen a character because she or he...

Don’t let tepid scenes suck the juice from your novel. One simple step can save you time — and perhaps your novel. Recognize this...

Sometimes we writers (you know who you are) hit a blind spot in the novel. Not really a bout of writer’s block, but a serious question...

Sometimes you just gotta get methodical. Novels are big and unruly, but chaos does not need to reign. Here are 15 framing questions that...

How do you pitch a novel? And why lavish time on it? Is it just so that we won’t be caught flat-footed when someone asks what the story...

The two-page synopsis is one of the toughest things I have to write. Yes, even harder than the chapter outline. I mean, if I have 20 or...

How do you pitch a novel? And why lavish time on it? Is it just so that we won’t be caught flat-footed when someone asks what the story...

Here’s my next installment on author myths. Myth #5  Writers depend on inspiration to get through the writing day. This one comes from...