The Difficult Second Book
If the first book was a whirlwind of inspiration, then the difficult Second book is like a rock band’s “difficult […]
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
Want versus Need
In trying to write better characters, it’s taken me a while to define want versus need. Writing coaches bang on
The Rules of Good Covers
You need to know the rules of good covers. ‘Never judge a book by its cover,’ the saying goes. Truth
The Pain of Editing
Nobody tells you about the pain of editing. How frustrating that ‘one last revision’ gets when you find another truckload
A Strong Opening Chapter
A question or an obsession; how do I write a strong opening chapter? How do I hook the reader and
Second Act Pinch Points
From Act One ingenue to Act Three veteran, your second act pinch points are the key. Character arcs simply don’t
Writing Setting as Character
Inspired by Sanderson’s World Building class, we bring you writing Setting as Character. There are certain books where the setting
Calculating the MICE Quotient
Mary Robinette’s ingenious short story technique raised a reader question about calculating the MICE Quotient. Listen to the audio version
The Art of the Book Blurb
Uncovering the art of the book ‘blurb’; that short text on the back cover and in the book summary that
Write What You Know?
A common piece of writing advice is ‘write what you know.’ But what I know, I don’t want to write