Do you struggle with crafting realistic, complex characters? Have others told you that your characters are flat, stereotypic, or lacking uniqueness? It may be that you haven’t thought through your characters’ inner conflict or developed enough hurt or even trauma in their past to cause them to realistically struggle with decisions and feelings about themselves […]

Hello and welcome! Today’s question is from Grace Clay who asks: I would like more advice about transitions, please. In particular, transitioning out of big set pieces. The best books—well, my favorite books—tend to follow up their massive orchestral scenes with something a little more contemplative to let the audience catch their breaths, but how […]

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:11:35 — 58.0MB) Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More What are some of the common fears that writers face? How can we work through them in order to create more freely? Caroline Donahue gives her tips in this interview. In the intro, How to avoid indie author scams [ALLi; Writer […]

[From KMW: I’m taking a quick sabbatical this week. I’ll be back next Monday with a video/post/podcast about “Scene Structure and Transitions in Big Scenes.” Until then, I hope you enjoy this short post on an important topic!] I have a little game I play when reading a book or watching a movie, especially a […]

When you ask a fiction writer what her story is about, she will usually explain the plot. Yes, plot is what the story is about, but theme is what the story is really about, simmering below the plot. In this post we’ll look at 3 ways to infuse your story with theme. Do you really […]

For all writers, there inevitably comes a time when we encounter aspects of the craft that, for one reason or another, we just don’t like. Whether it’s meticulously constructing a setting, creating the intricacies of dialogue, or grappling with a specific writing style, we all encounter elements that trigger a sense of dislike or resistance. […]

Post by Ali Luke. When it comes to your writing, do you sometimes feel like you have the brakes on? You might want to move forward … but something’s holding you back. I’ve seen so many writers blame themselves for procrastinating. They feel guilty that they can’t seem to “just get on with it.” Sometimes, […]

Hello, everyone, today we’re going to be talking about how to troubleshoot your story’s ending. Today’s post (which is a transcript of the video linked below) is in response to a couple of questions I received about endings. One is from Ayesha Ali: How about some posts about crafting endings. I just reached the end […]

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:04:01 — 87.9MB) Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More How can you outline a story based on a ‘thought dump’ and interweave genre tropes you love to create a successful book? How can you use video marketing to reach more readers, even if you are an introvert? Jenna Moreci gives […]

Today’s guest post is by Alexa Nazzaro and Lucien Schraeder. By now, you’ve likely heard of Romantasy – a currently trending topic in online reader communities. This genre has captivated the readers and authors alike in online book communities such as Booktok (Book Tiktok), Bookstagram (Book Instagram), and Booktube (Book YouTube). Romantasy is an emerging […]