Fantasy-Sci-Fi
The Slow Build of Believability
Most of us have probably been told to “plunge your main character into terrible trouble as quickly as possible.”…
September 7, 2019-
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ScreenwritingTreatments
Now that summer is coming to an end, I feel it’s time to get serious about the business of…
September 4, 2019 -
Writing for YAThe Path to Publication: Interview with Agent and Author Hope Bolinger
Today I am talking with Hope Bolinger. She’s an author of young adult novels as well as a literary…
August 27, 2019 -
Romancing Your StoryWriting a Strong Heroine
Editors often say they’re looking for stories with “strong female characters.” Many writers take that to mean the heroine…
August 23, 2019 -
Kids Lit“B.I.C. Time”
Whenever I teach at conferences, I’m often asked the same question: “How do you write so many books a…
August 21, 2019 -
History in the MakingA GLIMPSE OF EARLY TELEVISION
The youngster thought it her privilege to pick the name for her soon-to-be-born sibling. She gleefully and toothlessly spit…
August 20, 2019 -
Devotional/Christian Living9 Hot Topics to Write About in 2019 for Christian Living and Devotional Writers
The first book proposal I wanted to send out to publishers was on the book of Revelation. My agent…
August 19, 2019 -
Mystery/Thriller/SuspensePacing: The Tortoise or the Hare?
What’s the secret to creating a book worthy of catching an agent’s eye? Worthy of turning an acquisition editor’s…
August 17, 2019 -
Mastering Middle GradeDoing the Next Right Thing
Once upon a time, during what feels like another lifetime ago, I took my masters’ of science in documentary…
August 16, 2019 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
The Beginner’s Guide to Props – Using Them to Show Character
You know the phrase, all an actor needs is an empty room and a script? I’ve heard that idea…
August 7, 2019 -
Screenwriting
Silence Speaks
Last month I finished another rewrite of a screenplay I’ve been working on this year. Although I cut a…
August 4, 2019 -
Writing for YA
How to Defeat Dream Killers
We know them. Naysayers. Those who never have a word of encouragement. But who are they? Before we can…
July 27, 2019 -
Romancing Your Story
First, They Meet
The fact that you are writing a romance it’s a given that your hero and heroine have to meet…
July 23, 2019 -
Kids Lit
While You Wait…
We’ve all said it before. You know, the old, “I’m just waiting on God to make this publishing thing…
July 21, 2019 -
History in the Making
How Much Research is Required in Historical Fiction?
As an historical romance author, I love history. I love learning about different historical time periods and the events…
July 20, 2019 -
Devotional/Christian Living
Writing Wisdom from Christian Living and Devotional Author Sarah Geringer
I recently interviewed Christian Living and devotional author Sarah Geringer. I hope you gain as much writing wisdom from…
July 19, 2019 -
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Clues and Secrets
Was it Miss Scarlet in the Ballroom with a candlestick or Colonel Mustard in the Billiard Room with a…
July 17, 2019 -
Mastering Middle Grade
In Which We Use Memes to Represent the Writing Process
We all know what a distraction the internet can be for a writer. In the space of a split-second,…
July 16, 2019 -
Magazine and Freelance5 Tips for a Successful Interview
When I interviewed Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages and a bazillion other books, I prayed…
July 14, 2019 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
The One Story That Always Keeps Readers Turning Pages
It’s not every author that has a movie made in their honor. But when the author makes global impact,…
July 7, 2019 -
Screenwriting
Action Through Dialogue
Earlier this year I decided to do another rewrite of a screenplay I had written years ago, but in…
July 4, 2019 -
Writing for YA
YA Slang in Writing
Every once in a while, on one of my writers’ lists or on facebook, someone will want to know…
June 27, 2019 -
Romancing Your Story
Does Today’s Romance Have to be Formulaic?
Romance used to be so formulaic—boy meets girl, they fall in love, something threatens their relationship, but in the…
June 23, 2019 -
History in the Making
Historical Fiction Basics and Top Ten Time Periods
Those of us who write Historical Fiction are drawn to re-imagining the past and reconstructing times gone by. History…
June 20, 2019 -
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
How Dark Is Your World?
Most Mystery/Suspense/Thriller stories are set in the real world, but the realities of that world cover a wide spectrum…
June 17, 2019
