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POV shift: I moved to an island.
A month ago, my family moved from Orange County's endless summer to a small(ish) island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. It's the beginning of summer, and the weather has been sunny and warm,...
Sell More Books with Calls To Action at the End of Story
Putting calls to action in the back of your book is a form of passive marketing that will help you to sell more books. You only need to set up these calls to action once and you’re done–but they will continue working to help you to sell books.
Short Story Writing: 4 High Impact Tips
One of the most important ways to make a big impact in a short story is to write crisp, concise dialogue. Dialogue helps drive the plot and reveal information about the characters.
The Writer’s 3 Step Practice for Improved Health and Creativity
“Many of us walk around dehydrated without realizing it and that can have a significant effect on our health and how we feel,” Dr. King says. Dehydrated bodies trap toxins and encourage water retention – a natural defense against the chronic “drought.”
13 Tips for Writing a Dan Brown Page Turner
Here are 13 applicable observations Ellis Shuman has made, his deduction of the formula required to create a Dan Brown-like thriller that will captivate readers:
Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet for Novels
Snyder breaks down the three-act structure into manageable sections, each with a specific goal for the overall plot goal.
Writing Prompt: Dealing with the Loss of a Parent
If we’re honest with our readers (and with our fictional characters) such loss colors every act and reaction for the rest of our character’s days. But how to realistically portray the haunting void left by a deceased parent? And what plotlines or plot points might spring from that ache?
Writing Prompt: Studies show 3-yr-olds are accurate judges of trustworthiness & competence in adults
Scientists report how children as young as three are able to accurately determine key personality traits based on first impressions of adults' face, as outlined in Inferring Character From Faces: A...
Write your book title in 10 minutes
We know better than to judge a book by its cover, but a title is our first reader hook. A great story with a ho-hum title may be overlooked and left unread.
New Holiday Tradition – Free Printable Christmas Mini Scrolls, an Advent Calendar twist
I collected a series of free short stories from the web, and created a document so that I could cut out each “mini scroll,” marked with the day it is to be read, and roll it and tie it with a ribbon. Each day they’ll receive a new part of a story, until they finish with a little book
Boost Your Writing Career with Short Stories – Here’s How
My new writing goal is to complete one new short story per month–and I humbly request you join my resolution. Why?
Kill Writer’s Block Now: The Fast Track to Creativity Starts Here
Staring at a blank page? No me, my friend; I'm already off and writing this blog post, charmed by the prolific Charles Bukowski, "Writing about writer's block is better than not writing at...
Fiction Writing: Building Conflict to Discover What YOU Know
No plan, no map can ever foretell the revelation to be revealed on any journey. A committed outliner, every fiction story I’ve ever written has been prepared with (and in some cases, pre-empted by)...
4 Fun Tips for Inspiring Children to Read & Write Stories
Words are the foundation of any great story. Whether eloquent, blunt, allusive or rudimentary, words are the playthings of those new to the alphabet and MFA students alike. I have two children, ages...
What Was Your Childhood Dream? Dare to Let Go And Grow
Image: Freedigitalphotos.net
Food, glorious food. NEW Studies promoting red wine and chocolate for unexpected uses
One of my favorite phenomenons is an unexpected stroke of brilliance from a most unlikely source. A couple of awesomesauce items came out of the 244thNational Meeting & Exposition of the...
The Dark Knight, Michael Uslan, and Achieving Your Goals
"They started so young," thwarted competitors lament, when a young phenom bursts on the scene and quickly claims the highest rewards. We've all been awe-inspired by at least one, maybe a...
A writer’s manifesto for 2012. Read this and get to work
Sometimes I like to pretend I'm writing "to" novelist Chuck Wendig. It helps me cut the crap when self-censorship creeps in. I love Wendig's writing voice, and I just feel freer to speak my mind on...
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