Tales of “writing rules” follow us everywhere, from our creative writing classes to critique groups and writing groups to workshops,...

One of the most repeated and misunderstood writing advice quotes comes from Mark Twain, who said, “Write what you know.” So, if you...

And no, I'm not talking about dinner and a movie. What I’m talking about here is whether putting the year or some specific true event in...

The great Mickey Spillane once said, “Nobody reads a book to get to the middle.” Well, duh. But really, think about that. Isn’t the...

Have you ever been told your story is lacking? Perhaps the one telling you something is missing is the voice inside your head. You know...

Because just like everything in life, not all editors are the same and just because that editor your friend is using has been great for...

Traditional vs. Indie Publishing Follow Your Dreams & Follow Your Path

Have you ever been told your head-hopping is a problem, and you just can’t understand why? You like the way your prose reads and don’t...

Don’t Look Now, But Your Book is Being Judged By Its Cover. And that includes both the front and back.

No matter where you live on this Earth, I imagine your world is somewhat different than it was a year ago, and I want you to think about...

Avoid Those Small Leaks Because They Ultimately Lead to Major Cracks Ever read a story that had tiny leaks in its plotline? Those...

Oh, the visuals! Now some of you may have heard me talk about this before, but visuals are more important than you can imagine. Without...

I see post after post on various Facebook pages discussing traditional publishing versus self-publishing, but no one talks about the indepen

As Bob Dylan told us way back in the early sixties, “the times they are a-changin’” and boy are they ever. We’re in the 21st century now, a

Many of the aspiring authors I run into have done little research in the area of publishing. If you ask me, I’d say this is because they are

How about all three. After all, a legend is a story that typically includes an element of truth. It’s based on historical facts, but with my

Have you been told your characters are one or two-dimensional? Perhaps you’re having trouble weaving your character arc or connecting those

What you envision when you think about self-editing is nothing but a mask that simply needs to be peeled away. I swear it! Daily, I hear w

How important is pacing? Probably more than you realize. Poor pacing can easily send your book to the donate pile. Or worse, the garbage pil

Quite simply put, your story should be as long as it needs to be. In other words, just because your brother told you he loved your short sto