Writing Tips

Loa was not just a good dog, but rather, the best dog. And I know that all dogs are good dogs, and all dogs are the best dogs; that’s just how dogs are. But the reality is, when I say it, I need you to understand I really mean it. Every dog is the best

Words … words … words. Every story needs them. But they must be suitable for each situation. Don’t season your writing with words that provide the wrong flavor. If you pull readers out of your narrative with anything that doesn’t … Continue reading →

By Janice Hardy Little tweaks can make a big difference in our novels. It always amazes me how many decisions go into writing a strong novel. There’s the big stuff, like the plot and characters, but something as simple as your title, or where you break your scenes can be the difference between a good book and great book.Use too many clichés? The novel feels familiar and unoriginal. Throw in a ton of adverbs? Your readers don’t feel the full weight of the story’s emotional layer. You have so many opportunities to write a strong novel, and more writers should take advantage of that fact. It’s not necessarily their fault, either. Maybe they didn’t learn a technique, or no one ever told them their writing had problems they could easily fix. Writing has a ton of moving parts, and there’s a lot to learn. I’ve been writing […]

The clock ticks! The calendar pages fly off the wall. The sun rises and sets and rises again. Winter is coming! And the wheel turns. Which is to say, I’m uncmaxxing in my agemogging era, bruh, ngl. Which is to more to say, oh shit, I’m 50 years old. As it is my birthday, I

By Angela Ackerman Part of the How They Do It SeriesJH: Fear is at the heart of so many stories, because it’s often what’s keeping the protagonist from whatever it is they want in the story. It has so many potential uses in writing great fiction, and Angela Ackerman is here to share some genre-specific ones for us today.Take it away Angela… No matter the genre, fear is always present. It anchors readers in the character’s experience by closing the gap between story and reality. Fear taps into our instinct for self-preservation and the universal struggle to manage it without letting it take over. But fear doesn’t look the same in every genre. Reader expectations shape the kinds of dangers characters face and the fears that drive their choices. In some stories, fear centers on emotional vulnerability and relationships; […]

By Tess PerkoPart of the How They Do It SeriesJH: Becoming part of a writing community can be a rewarding and beneficial experience for the often-lonely business of writing. Jess Perko takes to the lecture hall today to share her publishing journey and how she found her “writing home.” Take it away Tess…Writing can be a lonely process, but not if you have a writing community. I wake up each morning enthusiastic about connecting with other writers and readers. That’s because I’ve made a promise to myself to enjoy the process of publishing my book and social interaction with other people I meet along the way.  When I retired from my professor job, I wrote a novel, something I’ve been wanting to accomplish for years. I’m thrilled to announce that Learning to Whistle has been published by She Writes Press and came out on […]

Have you ever wanted to eat stinky tofu while binge watching reruns of the Bionic Woman? Or fall in love with a boy named Pajamas? Have you ever thought there was an alien in your stomach trying to kill you?   Coming out is hard when you have two gay moms. At least it is for Simon

Whether you’re writing historical fiction, sci-fi, or a novel based on modern events, this research tool could prove invaluable for creating the right backdrop. A Dating Dilemma? Imagine a novel about a United States senator who attends a Sunday sermon … Continue reading →

By Janice Hardy A first draft is a wonderful thing, but it always needs more work. There’s something exciting and rewarding about a first draft. The story that’s been in our heads is finally down on paper, and we can see how it developed. Sometimes it unfolded exactly how we pictured, but more often we encountered snags here and there and discovered fun twists and plots as we wrote. The draft might even be, shall we say, a little messy. And that’s okay, because first drafts are often messy and filled with holes. It’s what you do with it from there that really matters. As the adage goes…writing is rewriting. Often, a lot of rewriting (sigh). This is why taking an objective first look at your first draft is so important. You’re taking stock of what you have and looking for what’s working, what’s not working, and what could […]

By Janice Hardy Uncovering backstory isn’t the same as plot, and focusing too much on the story’s past can hurt your novel’s future. One of the very first outlines for my urban fantasy novel, Blood Ties, focused on revealing the twist and secrets of the novel. It was mostly about how readers were going to learn all the cool things I’d created and less about a character struggling with a problem. Which was an actual problem, since struggling with problems is what makes a novel a novel. Weak as that early outline was, writing it was worth it, since it helped me figure out those backstories and secrets. It also made it obvious that I’d outlined a novel that didn’t truly have a plot. Sure, my protagonist had goals and she acted to achieve them and did all the things a good protagonist is supposed to do, but if […]

Stan Kaminski, a down-on-his-luck Polish immigrant, tries to scratch out an existence in 1990s New York City while avoiding the colorful, nefarious characters he encounters at every turn. When Stan is asked by one of Manhattan’s wealthiest landlords to find a lost woman, he refuses at first. But money lures him in. As Stan searches

*Straightens up and strides onto the stage of Chuck’s Terrible Minds blog.* *Chuck holds up a sign: “And ACTION!”* *Nods at Chuck and clears her throat* Warmest greetings, everybody! Is this mic working? *Taps on mic. Winces at the high-pitched squeal coming from the speakers.*  Ack. Right – let’s get this started: The Pixel Project,

If you like a) apple agriculture b) suburban folk horror c) cults Then boy howdy do I have a book for you — Black River Orchard is just shy of two bucks on your favorite electromagic bookreaderplatformbuyer, which is to say, “wherever you buy your e-books.” That means: Bookshop, Kobo, Amazon, B&N, Apple, etc It’s

By Janice Hardy Human emotion is universal, but you don’t want to use the same descriptions all the time. Here are ways to keep your emotional descriptions fresh.  I frequently receive questions about finding good alternative ways to use common reaction/emotion words. He smiled. She gulped. He frowned. She cringed. (Actually, that’s a story right there, isn’t it? He sounds like a stalker to me.) Anyway… These words get used a lot because they’re good words and get the point we’re trying to make across. They convey meaning quickly and clearly—smiling shows happiness, frowning shows displeasure, gulping shows fear. But after a while, characters reacting to the same emotions the same way over and over feels repetitive. However, trying to make every emotional description original can lead to overwriting. If a […]

Let’s get this out of the way at the fore of the post: I am not, to my knowledge, actively dying. I do not — again, to my knowledge! — suffer under any particular malady besides the passage of time and the steady nibbles of entropy that will eventually lead to my demise. But! I

Vakov Fukasawa is trapped. Captured by his ruthless and cruel enemies, the House of Suns, he has been broken in body and mind, tormented until he is something less than human. And yet, Vakov and his brother Artyom are the Common’s last hope. The war against the Suns has grown to swallow the galaxy. Entire

It costs between four and ten times as much to win a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. Do you make any of the following mistakes in your interactions with potential readers? Lack of Diversification Is … Continue reading →

By Janice HardyDo you really need to hook a reader on the first page?Common writing advice says to hook your reader from the first page. I’ve stopped reading many a book when that first page didn’t click with me, or worse, turned me off the story.But I’ve also kept reading past so-so first pages when the cover copy was intriguing enough that I was willing to see how the first chapter panned out. If it kept me reading, I stayed with the book.So, does the first page need to hook if the novel’s premise hooks?Which is a really loaded question.  It used to be you knew what the book was about before you read it, since you had cover copy you probably re-read before you started the first page. But with e-books, you don’t always get the cover copy when you load the book. Usually the first time you open the book, a window pops up […]

I wanna talk about Cameron’s The Terminator and Carpenter’s The Thing, but first, let’s get it out of the way — If you know anything at all about me in this Current Era, it is that I am vehemently opposed to generative AI. I do not use it. I will not use it. It does

A teenage girl realizes her lifelong best friends are being seduced by a supernatural force, and must choose between being alone and being ensnared together. A young woman in a troubled relationship finds herself caught between two versions of the same boyfriend—one volatile, and one too good to be true. A lonely mother fears her